I am fairly new to box calls, so forgive the rookie question... I am a public land hunter, so for me; different is good. I generally prefer a cleaner sound as I feel everyone is walking around the woods with a "raspy boss hen" call in their hand/vest. I also like the idea of the traditional woods (i.e. all Walnut, Walnut over Mahogany, etc...)
Sound being more important than wood combo.
That said; in your opinion what wood combo to do you feel fits the bill?
I do have a Kenny Harrell walnut over walnut box that sounds fantastic. The sound it produces is exactly what your describing. It's also a beautiful box. I don't see many around though and I'm not sure if he is still making boxes or if he's even alive. It was a pita to get that box from him I remember.
Walnut over butternut.
Quote from: Britton40 on May 08, 2016, 04:48:34 PM
Walnut over butternut.
Good suggestion, that and tell the call maker what you want. Most can tune to your liking.
I have a cherry over poplar that has a fairly clean sound.
Pretty solid choice. I concur..
Quote from: Britton40 on May 08, 2016, 04:48:34 PM
Walnut over butternut.
I really like bloodwood over butternut, for a box that has a different sound from most of my others I have a persimmon over black limba thats a nasally balk of a yelp.
Thanks fellas! I've been eye-balling Paul boxes on eBay for a while, suffering from paralysis via analysis...
I have a jatoba/poplar that is pretty clean. One wood combo that I love but raspier is purpleheart/cedar
The wood selection is often less important than the construction of the call. While some woods lend themselves to more being more raspy, the grain and thickness can determine if the call has clear crisp yelps. I make a Cedar over Cedar that consistently produces clean yelps the way it is made. It can also be built to produce raspy if desired.
So many good choices and makers out there. But if you want to go for what an old callmaker friend of mine described as a "clarion" tone, higher and clearer with not as much rasp, its hard to beat cherry over poplar or cherry over butternut.
For a higher pitch yelp, I agree with this:
Quote from: coyote1 on May 08, 2016, 11:26:21 PM
I have a cherry over poplar that has a fairly clean sound.
Or this:
Quote from: ferocious calls on May 10, 2016, 07:16:49 AM
The wood selection is often less important than the construction of the call. While some woods lend themselves to more being more raspy, the grain and thickness can determine if the call has clear crisp yelps. I make a Cedar over Cedar that consistently produces clean yelps the way it is made. It can also be built to produce raspy if desired.
Or cedar over butternut.
Good luck!
My favorites are
Cherry over Butternut
Bloodwood over poplar
Purple Heart over Cherry
And Yellow heart over Black Limba
:camohat: A combo with a mess of turkeys in it is Mahogany under Bloodwood, another is Butternut under Bloodwood.
Here's a new wood combination for me, bloodwood over cherry. The all cherry box seems to match up well with bloodwood and jatoba.
I live cherry over poplar, my favorite, great roll over & can be raspy too. Mike
If you are purchasing a custom call, I would talk to the call-maker and go off his/her recommendation. The single largest benefit of ordering a custom call from a custom call maker is... Well customizing it.
If you want something that sounds a bit different, I might also consider a scratch box call... Some of the best cutts, clucks, and purrs, and a unique sound to the yelp (which I do feel is very realistic after some practice).
Walnut over butternut would be my choice, If you want a loud ,raspy throaty sound use bloodwood.
Zebrawood is such a hot trend now in pots but I don't see it used in box calls?? Is it too expensive or not well suited to boxes.
Two callmakers that I consider some of the best told me their favorite woods for a short box were walnut over mahogany. I had each make me one in that combo and I carry these calls as much as any I have.
One of my favorites is a sassafras/cedar combo, I've taken a lot of birds with that combo!