Mouth calls

[mikejd]

Do you guys bend and trim your calls to fit comfortably. I always have but I just bought a houndstooth so i was reading the package and it was talking about how strict the tolerances the reeds are stretched to and checked with a micrometer. The first thing that came to mind is if I bend it to fit me comfortable it must change the stretch of the reed. I may have been screwing up calls for 20 yrs. No.

[savduck]

You can bend and trim the tape. I own a bunch of houndstooth. Every one of mine is bent and trimmed.

[mikejd]

Ok thanks. Like I said I always have I just never actually thought about what I was actually doing.

[gwa]

Nope. It ruins the call. Your thinking is correct.

Maybe a slight tape trim but no bending.

[lonnie sneed jr.]

I would not bend the call much if any, but I do not see how triming the tape will hurt anything. I don't use any tape on my calls, and if I get a call with tape on it I cut it down to the frame.

[ttcustomcalls]

I make mouth calls and they are not as complex as manufacturers like you to think. It is an aluminum frame clamped around the reeds to hold them in place, the tape is only there to make it seal to the roof of your mouth. So if you bend the frame, yes you will affect the sound of the call, but you can do whatever to the tape and as long as it still seals in your mouth you should not affect the sound adversely. Hope this helps 

TJ

[Houndstooth Game Calls]

Look I made numerous calls for people that yelp better than me and dels right throw that out of your mind that it ruins the call. If it did Del would sound like a goose and he's as good a caller as I have heard on here. His are not only bent but they are bent more drastic than most. So I have seen it numerous times it doesn't ruin the call. I bend some my self it doesn't fit ya and if you want me to make ya some small frames let me know I got the stuff to do it!!- Lyle

[gwa]

A hunting buddy of mine had to distort his to make it work. When his reeds blew out he could not get the bend right on his new calls and was lost.

[Longbeardfever4ever]

Depends on the call. After enough play my calls break in just to the right contour and fit my mouth perfectly.

[savduck]

Nope. It ruins the call. Your thinking is correct.

Maybe a slight tape trim but no bending.

Sometimes it improves a call. You can bend them just fine. And twist them and stretch them.

[Houndstooth Game Calls]

Heres a trick I use I bend the back of the call up sometimes and you can do that to a call that's considered blown out and it revives the call a good bit.

[bigdan29299]

I'm no professional mouth caller, but I bend all of my mouth calls, some more than others, depends on the make and model of the call.
I've found that i sound better with a youth frame, and adult size tape on the frame then with the youth tape.

Dan