When ordering a new box call,,what two sounds do you request??

[Happy hooker]

I'm bitten by the box call bug, have got a handful now some used off trader boards a couple I have ordered from maker.
When I first started hunting in 88 we got all our calls over the counter and ALL had the same recipe. Left side was the hen and right side was coarse or considered the gobbler. All boxes went by this formula.
I'm wondering???
When you guys contact a maker and commission a new double sided call what two sounds do you go with. Do you do the hen/gobbler,,clear and raspy or a hi low or a medium,,do you let the maker free hand it "I don't care give me your best two"a lot has to do with the woods and I know you can call and listen but I think the callmakers  know better then me. I'm wondering what you all do.

[KentuckyHeadhunter]

Brad I really try to play the call in my own hands if at all possible.  Like you I have gotten many from the classifieds and trusted the name of the call maker.  Even though some call makers don't consistently make great calls.  If it was Dawkins, Lamar, Mann, etc I think I would trust the sound.  All of them will play for you over the phone or send a soundfile.  That helps to an extent.  As far as different sides being high or low and such, most of mine are lower on the right and higher on the left as well.  I don't know the recipe because I dont build box calls (yet?).   Good subject to discuss though.

[greencop01]

         I don't have a ton of calls but when I order from a custom maker I usually order a paddle call with a high pitch, higher than the usual paddle call. Other times I've asked him to make me a call like the one he hunts with, usually with a reputable call maker you can't go wrong with that. 

[outdoors]

S S  CALLS  BY BIG AL
HES A MEMBER AND HIS OWN WEB SITE
YOU SHOULD TALK TO HIM
HE IS A HONEST PERSON 

[CMBOSTC]

Brad,

When I make a call left side is higher pitched and the right side is a lower pitch with a lot of rasp. I don't want both sound boards sounding the same. I prefer to make cuts on the right side because of the raspiness. So when I flip the call over to make cuts, the right sound board is there.

Chris

[CMBOSTC]

If I were going to buy someone else's call, I would pay attention to call makers calls that get resold on a regular basis and steer clear of them. There are call makers that never get their calls resold, for good reason.

Chris

[West Augusta]

I stick with the better call makers and ask for their strong suit. What their best combo is. What they hunt with.

[yelpaholic]

agree with West  pick the call makers brain on favorites and most requested  But a good raspy barky yelp with a good roll over is what I like best.   Get them to send soundfiles or videos on different combos is about as good as you can do unless you live close enough to go play them

[CMBOSTC]

Better well known maybe... there are a lot of great call makers out there just not as well known.

[mgm1955]

I stick with the better call makers and ask for their strong suit. What their best combo is. What they hunt with.

[silverspur]

I like a call that has two hen sounds in each call. Left side one sound, right side another. Looking for great brake and roll over for that double note sound. Not a flat sounding call. I want that in any combo the maker uses. Consistency is key no matter if it's a short box or long.

[Bowguy]

 

S S  CALLS  BY BIG AL
HES A MEMBER AND HIS OWN WEB SITE
YOU SHOULD TALK TO HIM
HE IS A HONEST PERSON 

Very true! Not the only call maker but one of my favorites. Halloran hasn't been mentioned n I'm a fan of his boxes too

[M Sharpe]

You can tell a lot about a box in just two strokes of the lid. One on the right and one on the left. I generally open the lid about two thirds of the way and SLOWLY close the lid. You should get a good yeee-awk. If not, I put it down. I also like for that lid to end up completely closed. I like a young hen on the left( not a screechy sound) and an old hen on the right, both with rasp. Be careful when you tell someone you want an old hen, you might get a gobbler. I want a medium sounding hen there. Boxes are rather unique in that you can change the sound just by the way you grasp or hold the paddle. Holding it firmly between your thumb and index finger will give you a different sound than playing in loosely between your index finger and middle finger. Whether you slightly cant the lid or play it flat. Once you tell that call maker what you want, and get the call, then learn to hold and play it the way he played it while tuning it.

[Hooksnhorns]

^^^^ What Mark said.