Another trick for all mouth call users: If a call does not suit you, take a good pair of scissors and make slight modifications in the existing cuts in the call, or add new cuts. For instance, if you have a V-cut call that doesn't sound good, just deepen the cuts slightly and try the call again... or cut the tips off of one or more of the points of the cuts,...or convert a V-cut call into a bat-cut, ghost-cut, or cutter-type call.
There are all sorts of ways you can modify an existing call that might turn it into a great call when it was not usable beforehand. I always get a chuckle out of certain call-makers that insist that if a call doesn't sound good right out of the package that it might as well be thrown away,...that it is just a lousy call. Those guys are just trying to sell more calls rather than be helpful to the people that buy their calls. Most times, small modifications will make all the difference in a call, even one that sounds terrible to start with.
Every mouth call user should make it a point to have a good pair of scissors on hand and never throw a call away without learning to go through the modification process before giving up on a call. I have taken many calls that were absolute junk out of the package and turned them into gems by doing this.
I also agree that calls made with prophylactic reeds are almost always easier to use than those made from thicker reed materials. They are also generally easier to make soft, quiet sounds with, as well.
