Steel Rain, most folks prefer a sound board in their calls. It helps to resonate the sound more, keeping the call from being flat, or hollow.
The pedestal is where the sound board is glued to. It is VERY important when this gluing takes place that the sound board is not touching the inside walls of the call. I prefer a 3" round double weight glass sound board in single side setups. I like a 3" slate sound board for a double sided caller.
Vince