If you do happen to run into one that sucks. Just turn it around and blow on the other end.
I guess nobody ever thought that all the calls on the market started out as a "custom" calls. They had to start somewhere. AND they were all tested and they all worked (except the T-20).
In 1970 the call makers started switching over to plastics and injection molding in order to stay competitive and make a living. The tima and materials went way down as did the unit cost.
The purists still offer wood, but even wooden calls have problems calling coyotes from time to time.
To me, making a custom call is being able to create an air chamber that better controls back pressure, thus making it easier to blow. Part two is being able to tune a reed to produce a particular sound you are looking for whether it is high pitch, low pitch, clear tones, raspy tones.
These variables are why I do not sell calls on my website. There are too many variable to tailor make a call to match any individual, like making a suit.
One of the things I ask is whether the owner slobbers and blows hard. This determines what reed to start with and how to tune. Next come questions regarding the target animal and then comes questions about calling terrane.
One fellow from Texas,,, in fact two fellows BOTH from Texas took pride in telling me that they blow hard and want to be able to reach critters in the next county. What they got was a custom call consisting of the wooden hardwood core of a drilled-out bowling pin. They were happy.
