Custom Calls VS Store bought

Bloodhound

Bloodhound

New member
This has been on my mind for a while, so I will get out the soapbox for just a little bit...Then I would like to hear what you think...I try not to be verbose.

I am a meat hunter, cow elk, doe (when I can draw a tag), and birds....and I am an equipment hunter, by this I mean that Iget as much pleasure from the tools I use when hunting, as I do the taking of game. So to sum it up my focus is the meat for the table, and the tools I use in the field.

So when we start talking about custom calls vs storebought, there is no question...It has to be hand made...if I was a craftsman, I would make my own (Thats not happining)...But a plastic call from Sprtsmans,Cabela's,Gander Mountain....Just isn't for me..they make great sounds...but as Emrile would say about his cooking "Wheres the LOVE".

I can pick up one of Al's, Rick's or Rich's calls and feel "The Love"...It is as much a part of my hunt as the rifle my son gave me one christmas, the spotting scope my wife gave me for my birthday, the shooting sticks I made in my garage, and my old Ford truck...these calls add to the pleasure of the hunt and I enjoy them if I kill an animal or not.

As to the price...well some of the predator folks havn't figured it out yet...I am also a duck hunter, custome duck calls go for $120 and UP, and I have never seen a duck call that compares with the THO Fawn Bleat call I just got in the mail...By the way shipping and everything was under $25.

Cronk, Bearmanric, TTEbbe, THO calls are way underpriced when compared with other hunting calls....even when compared with the store bought calls.

And the custom calls are priceless when I consider how much a part they are of the pleasure I get from hunting.

I tip my hat to the call makers on this site you are truely artests...and your calls and "The Love" you put into them make my trips afield, pleasant times and the basis of wonderful memeories.

OK the soapbox is going back to the garage, and I am going outside to bug the neighbors cats and dogs with my new THO Fawn Bleat...Memories afaield, and in the backyard.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Scott,
I feel the same way you do. The call I just received from Al (THO) is the most beautiful call I have ever seen. I build custom fly-rods for people and I've seen some fancy woods on reel seats, but that Bacote on this call is awesome. I feel as though I'm carrying around a piece of art when I go in the woods now. But with that warranty that comes with it and the quality of workmanship, I'm not afraid to use it. Custom built really is custom. You're not going to find that kind of quality and perfection as you would in a mass produced piece of plastic. Thanks again THO.
-Peter
 
I think theres a lot more to it than the love.I've been playing with this for a while now and its a lot of hours of dedication to what they do.The pain in the neck after long hours standing over the lathe or sander. It's the ring in the sound wood gives the call,not flat or hollow, when they get it right. My hat's off to the guys who have already been there and done this !! Jimmie
 
well lets just say I'm a sucker for calls of any kind I have several store bought! call up lots of yotes with them! but I also have 2 of slydogs,1 of bearmanricks and 1 of timberstoes !when it comes to beauty there is no beating them ! sounds from customs are out of this world also!
the bad thing is they are almost too dang pretty to carry to the woods! keep up the good work guys! I just recently got some of the customs so it may be a while before I can post pics with them but you can bet I will be!
 
Being disabled and on a fixed income, my money is limited. I don't want to blow it by buying some mass produced commercial call. I do have some commercial calls, but if I'm going to spend money, it'll be for a call made by one of the fine call makers right here on this site.
The Sceery AP-6 and AP-7 are $19.99 at my local store. The calls made by the folks right here are a real bargin!
 
I have one mass produced call and it works ok but it has no "soul" I love my custom calls and I'm now pretty much addicted to collecting them.

One question I have for you Scott; What do you consider cuustom. Is a THO call bought from a website like "all predators.com" a store bought call. If the call maker has a website does it mean his calls are not as custom as say someone who only has an email address? Not trying to pick a fight. On another forum there is a huge thread on what makes a custom call. I got really tired of reading it, and I hope this thread doesn't wind up like that one.

Almost all of the calls I have bought are from people on this forum and they are all top shelf...bar none. I plan on being terminally broke from now on due to the talent here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Breeder...I don't know if there is a definition, but my idea is that a custom call is made by hand, not CNC machines. The only issue with some of the call makers here having a web site, is that more people see the calls, more people want them, and the demand for these quality calls can exceed the supply at times, (Quality art/craftsmanship, "The Love" don't come fast).

I know Al/THO was overbooked for a time...probably still is...I know that posts like these tend to send the call makers more orders....and there are only 24 hours in the day, and these call makers still need to have time to eat, sleep spend time with family and HUNT...I sent Bearmanric a PM a while back, and I know he is a busy guy and he hasn't had a chance to build the call I have in mind....And I know I am just one of dozens of guys who flock to the artists/call makers on this site...


Again my hat is off to these folks.
 
Well playing devils advocate here, do you see a difference in using a cnc on the mouthpiece of a howler and using a jig to cut it? A jig ,by the way, that was machined. Using a jig is a form of "mass production" in the pure sense of the word.
I think using a cnc on part of the call to get repeatability is fine. I don't think that anyone would argue that a custom call is not one that is popped out of a CNC lathe once every hour or two. But if a call maker uses a cnc machine to express his art I don't have a problem with it. CNC is an art in itself, and can be argued that if you program a part from a drawing you have made, then that part is still an extension of the artist.
The CNC machine still can't tune the call, or select the wood or the finish.
I could also take another tack by saying that using any powertools is not making a custom call. Dremels, Lathes, sanders, and drills are all tools to express the callmakers art.

And so far I am amazed at the calls I've seen and purchased.
 
that sound's like Krusty talking.if everyone made a hand carved custom call we wouldnt. have all these fine custom's here to day.i'm not going to change how i make my call's to please an individual. had a certain person say stuff about my mouth piece's in my howler's.i just like to make call's like i do i dont want any rule's. not starting anything with you breeder. this is about krusty he is in his own little world.Rick
 
this is just my 2 cent's but if you really want to get down to the brass tax then ,,1- a custome call is made by ONE PERSON ,,2- A lot of times a store bought call is made by serveral people ..if this is the only problem you have to worrie about then you have to much time on you hands !!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
I agree I had the same conversation with with Robert Adams (Dogwood Creek Custom Calls)after receiving a few of his calls. I told him I didn't understand why guys will pay big bucks for a duck call and it seems like common place for a custom predator call to be priced much lower.
I have a pretty good variety myself but I'm starting to leave the mass-produced calls in the truck. I just received a couple of the Cronk howlers and all I can say is they are a work of art. Keep up the good work you guys. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
for myself, before using a toneboard jig, the calls were being ruined freehand-bandsawing the toneboard - coming out wrong, at the last step of the making. so an hours work and good wood went into the fireplace. that was the biggest factor. as it is, with the jig it takes a good 20-30 minutes to complete the toneboard. But at least I did design my jig, it was not bought from someone else,only the overall form was copied, the curvature and lenght not copied, so the toneboard curves are my own. anyone can make a jig, just from wood.

Jigs in the use of making anything...even the finest furniture from eons ago, have always been used. for instance, a shooting board used when hand jointing a board....is a jig..even though it is just a plain ol board /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Jigs are used mostly to make sure that the making of a part comes out correctly and matching, such as for instance, a dedicated taper jig to make the 4 legs of a table. and definalty to save time and money in that example!!

lets say you worked with a craftsman to have a custom table built and he freehand drew the leg shape to your desires, ok totally custom, but he will make a story stick, at the very least, in order to make 4 identical legs. A story stick is a jig /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

"jigs are your freind" LOL

for the 78rpm, I define custom as being made to a customers specs.
 
A custom is anything out of the norm. I believe you can even customize with what is available from suppliers of call parts. Saw one here while back. A fellow took what was available in acrylic or plastic clear barrels and with the assemblage of diferent peices turned that factory duck call into one of the nicest ajustable reeds I have heard.

One of our newer members took a goose call and customized it too make himself a pretty fair little howler.

Even the burnham bros long range fox call was a custom! They tuned the double reed in that puppy by hand before assemblage. Every last one of them.Sure they used a js products reed but it aint the same way they got it like a lot of others.

Once Rich Cronk gets done with a tallyho is it still a factory call or a custom? Is it better or the same as it was?

When you took that sceery,Kand H or whatever apart and shaved or bladed the reed to create a diferent sound did you not customize it to suit yourself? Jimmie
 
I like to tell foks that my calls are "Hand Crafted". Sure I use a lathe, drill press, band saw, bench sander and other tools, but they are made one at a time, by hand, by me. Each one is a little different, even if the design is the same. If you wish to call them custom, the true credit for that goes to Mother Nature, because she gives me the wood, and no two pieces of wood are exactly the same.
 
I agree with Bloodhound's original sentiment. I like the appearance and feel of custom better. And I'm a woodworker since high school so I'm a sucker for pretty wood.

As for the custom vs commercial tangent that sprang up...I'd say that if any feature of the call is mechanized or automated, it begins losing the "custom" feel. The more automated stuff that's done, the less custom it is. I saw some calls on APC yesterday that had laser etched designs. To me, that lowers the appeal of the call considerably. I'd much rather see the maker's name written on the call with a Sharpie! (hopefully in small print /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) I don't consider a tone board jig to be automated at all.

Later,
Jim
 
I've been watching this thread and waited till I had enough free time to reply. I enjoy and share Bloodhounds soapbox. I am very much a hunter and call purchaser/user/admirer, as I am a call builder.

Here is my thoughts. Grab a cup of cofee...it's going to be a long one.

Just to clarify. Here are definitions that I am referring to, with my thoughts.

Webster's Dictionary:

Love - "An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object." or "An expression of one's affection." or "Sexual Intercourse" (Hope the last one doesn't apply!) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Custom-Made - "Made according to the specifications of an individual purchaser."

Hand-Crafted - "To fashion or make by hand."


First of all, Bloodhound, Thank You for sharing your thoughts. Your appreciation for objects that you hold close to your heart and/or came from the heart, is right in-line with mine.

On the topic of "Love". I don't think you could have picked a better word. There is alot of "Love" and/or emotion that goes into every call for a call builder. It's an ability to express our ourselves. Turning a dollar has nothing to do with building calls. Believe me, there's no money in it, as almost every dollar goes back into materials and tools. Once in a while, money is set aside for calling trips.

On the confusion of "Custom vs Hand Crafted", here are my thoughts. All my calls are hand crafted/made, but not all my calls are custom. (See definitions above.) I always try to classify calls as Custom or Pre-made when I advertise them.

I have hand-crafted cabinets in my home. They are not "Custom" cabinets, as they were prebuilt by the cabinet maker. If I were to sit down with the builder, listen to his ideas, give him my ideas, measurements, grain angle choices, etc... then they would be "Custom" made for me. I don't expect the builder to hand wittle them from a single piece of wood, hand forge the hinges and screws from brass that he mined from the ground, just to call them "Custom".

If I ordered a new Corvette, picked out the paint, wheels, interior, engine, etc.. That car would be custom built for me, at the factory. I don't expect the craftsmen to hand mold the fiberglass, melt their own glass into windshields, etc... to make it "Custom".

I feel that "Custom Made" is all about building a specific item for someone. Anyone who purchased a custom call from me, answered a series of questions to help customize it to them. We co-designed the call together, before I started on it. A good example is my antler calls. I ask questions like: Type of terrain you call in? Do you call left or right handed? What is your favorite call, now? What type of volume are you looking for? What type of pitch (cottontail or jackrabbit)? Do you want rasp or high pitch focused on the call? Any name or nickname engraved to personalize it? Etc...

I enjoy building both Custom calls and Pre-made ones. The more I get to know a caller, the more emotionally attached I get to a call when building it for them.

On the other hand, I have ideas in my head that I build into prototype calls. There is alot of affection and excitement in it. The other night, I built a prototype for a new "top secret" call design. Once I tested it, I jumped on the phone and called Timbertoes, like a dang school girl. "Man, listen to this, check this out, do it again, dang....." I've listened to many of Timbertoes calls over the phone, as well.

My wife just rolls her eyes. She thinks there is something mentally wrong with two grown men blowing predator calls over the phone for an hour.

Here's a quote that I posted on a similar topic on another board, not too long ago:

Quote:

I haven't had this much fun, in along time. It's great to be around guys who get as excited over a piece of horn, plastic or wood, as I do.


Everyone needs a passion, ours is building things that sound like you are castrating a live cat, rabbit, squirrel, dog, etc... Sick isn't it???




I don't believe a call builder needs to chop down his own trees, melt his own recycled pop bottles, hand-wittle his own toneboards, etc... to be a Custom Call Builder.


This is just my thoughts on the subject.

Tony
 
Additional Items, once I read all the additional comments again:

Back in December, I asked Al Woodard from THO if he would build me a call, as a christmas gift for my father, from a piece of walnut that came from my parents farm.
Would I consider it to be a Custom Call? Absolutely.

(Unfortunately, I ran out of time and I didn't follow through with sending Al a wood blank. I'm still kicking myself for that.)



I build my toneboards by eye.

Do I mess up alot of toneboards? Yes.
Would I use a jig? Yes.
Will I have a jig built? Yes.
Would I ever have a call body or voice machined? Yes.
Would I ever design a call to become a production call? Yes.
Would I ever stop building custom calls or howlers? Never.

I'm done now...Tony
 
I think I feel the same way most other call makers do. I make calls because I enjot it. I don't do it for praise or approval. If I never sell another, I will still turn them out. Pile them in the corner or just give them away. And give them I do. Fund raisers, contest prizes, gifts. I have been a machinist for 25 years, there isn't anything I havn't seen or done with machinery, jigs, or fixtures. But I LOVE to creat beautiful calls, for hunting or collecting.If you get into call turning with the idea of putting Primos out of business,you are a very ambitious person. It is relaxing and only slightly profitable. But I will do it not to make a point, but to do justice to a beautiful piece of Rosewood.
 
Most of my own calls are made to get the job done. Calls that give maximum results with minimum amount of care. Calls that will take a licking and keep on ticking. Kind of like the old timex commercial. All of my calls today are of open reed design. Several years ago, I made myself a jig out of black walnut. This jig was made for roughing out my delrin voices. It helps keep the holes half way centered, and gives me a guide for the band saw blade when cutting the tone board and the notch for my cork wedge system to hold reed in place. All final tuning of tone boards is done by guess and by golly with a small file. If a customer calls me with a request to make him a call, and gives me some special instructions as to special sound he needs, smaller size or whatever, then I do my best to build it the way he wants it. Are my calls truly custom? Shucks, my customers are happy so it don't really matter whether he considers it "custom" or not. Satisfied customers is the important thing. Make a good call, and deal immediately with any complaints. Once in awhile I even turn out a call that is pretty to look at too. If a cow horn howler is too pretty, my wife gloms on to it anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top