Pot call question.....

[wangchung0121]

I currently have a slate pot call that a guy here in Omaha made.  My question is that I know there are glass, copper, crystal, and aluminum calls out there.  Can anyone explain the difference in them? 

[pappy]

You are going to get a ton of replies on this question. The differences between the afore mentioned striking surfaces is as wide as the day is long. Copper, high maintnence, great all round pick for raspiness and has so many sweet spot capabilities, glass, great high pitch but, if not installed right is deader then a doornail, crystal, quick response raspy and great player in humid weather and aluminum is tricky but effective for reaching out, but the trick is in the strikers. It is a well known fact that an assortment strikers, makes one pot sound like four.

[woodwzrd]

The slate calls I make tend to be more mellow and sweet. My glass and aluminum calls really like carbon strikers and have tons of rasp and volume. The glass is an excellent windy day call. I have not messed with anything else yet but it's coming.

Pappy is dead on when he says that four different strikers will make the same call sound like four different ones.

[wangchung0121]

Thanks for the insight.  It sounds like it's pretty much trial and error and what sound I'm wanting.  I appreciate the two of you responding.

[gobblerhunter]

Pappy is 100 % correct.  The trick is in the strikers.  Most of the calls I make are either glass/slate or slate/glass and you can play both sides. Each call has two strikers, one raspy and one fairly high pitched.  This gives you several different sounds with each call surface.  Reason, old, mature hens are more raspy than a young, im-mature hen.  Mating gobblers will normally respond better to an older hen thus the reason for a raspy striker.
However, I have had days when the big boys would respond better to the young, high pitched girl.  I guess that's why they call it turkey hunting.

I have not messed with other combinations but that is on my to-do list.

Bill