I've posted about this a little in a few places, but I wanted to post a little more about it here. (I know lots of people here are not Facebook types!)
When I started callmaking, I built calls on a jig that was passed down through my family. The jig is pretty different from most of today's calls. It is a larger bore with a longer toneboard. At 11/16" it is not quite half way between a 5/8" standard modern Arkansas style plastic reed call and a Reelfoot call. This is actually the bore that some of the more popular calls in the 50's and 60's were made on. Reeds are also different as a result.
This past fall, I made a handful of calls on the jig and used some of them on my hunting trips. I put birds on the water with them and really enjoyed using the call with the different sound. During that time, I also had the shape you see below starting to hatch in my mind.
A week or so ago, I finally cut some blanks and started a couple calls. These were the result. I took the design a few steps further and added some of the back-boring details to the exhaust that I started doing back in the late 80's to the call, but in a much more polished design.
I'm really happy with the design and how it has turned out. The sound is right on. It is ducky as heck. Will get louder than the prototypes I hunted with in the fall (they were straight 1/4" exhausts), but will also quiet down just right. They are also very responsive from top to bottom. They are what I wanted. So now I have a somewhat 'Vintage' looking design with some modern elements thrown in to bring them forward to now.