Do you finish wooden soundboards or leave unfinished?

[MikeStaten]

Going to build my first pot call from a kit.  Going to use a cherry pot, bronzed glass surface and purpleheart soundboard.  I plan to either use Minwax polyurethane or Tru Oil to finish the  cherry pot.  Should i also finish the soundboard?

Also, what do you think of my choices in materials (cherry pot, purpleheart soundboard and bronzed glass)?

Thanks,
Mike

[merocustomcalls]

Sounds like a good choice of materials, but do not put finish on the bottom of the soundboard where it will glue to the pot.  You will not get a good glue joint and it can easily come loose once the call is completed.  I learned the hard way.  You can put finish on the top of the soundboard where it is visible under the glass. 

[lightsoutcalls]

What Brian said.    I finish the top side to bring out any visible character in the grain and provide some protection from moisture if possible.  I always thought that the glue would not stick to a finished surface as well as a natural surface. 

I agree that your choice of components should produce a decent sounding call. Good luck.  Beware the addiction that is callmaking...

[MikeStaten]

Thanks all.  Any suggestions on the proper distance (1/16", 1/8" etc..) between the top of the soundboard and the bottom of the glass?

Thanks again,  Mike

[lightsoutcalls]

Thanks all.  Any suggestions on the proper distance (1/16", 1/8" etc..) between the top of the soundboard and the bottom of the glass?

Thanks again,  Mike

The general rule of thumb for this distance is the same distance as the thickness of your soundboard.  For example, if your soundboard is 1/8", you would want approximately 1/8" between the soundboard and the calling surface.

[MikeStaten]

Wendell, I appreciate the information. 

Does an increase/decrease in the distance between the two have a somewhat consistent impact on the sounds?  I.e., increasing the distance between the two materials will result in a higher/lower pitch, increased/reduced rasp etc..?

[lightsoutcalls]

I have kept my internals very close to the same for so long, I honestly couldn't tell you.  There are so many variables to the makeup of a pot call that changing any one variable will change the sound.  Maybe someone has tinkered with the distance variable more recently and can give you better feedback on it.