Best sounding box calls?

[Hitman 23]

I am looking in to buying a good all around custom box call, any info is appreciated and thanx

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Builders or Combos ?

[savduck]

I like Mann, Dawkins, Watkins, and Mckamey longboxes

[bamagtrdude]

I really like Mike's boxes @ Spring Creek Turkey Calls - http://springcreekturkeycalls.weebly.com/ ; I have his purpleheart over cedar and a custom Brazilian cherry over cedar; both are excellent calls, and very reasonably priced.  I killed 2 birds this year using 'em, and a buddy of mine used 'em & tagged out (5 birds).

[Heller]

Al with SS calls makes a heck of a box call

[scoot12]

Billy White hustlin hen,  S S custom calls field grade mineral poplar and maple and one Dave Tyrees one sider.  All these boxes are under $100 and sound great.  Scoot

[drum817]

SS custom calls! 

[Marc]

I am also looking for a custom call...

Anyone have one of Paul's Calls, from Albert Paul?  How do they compare to SS calls?

What makes a custom call good?

[weave]

Al with SS calls makes a heck of a box call

I just got my first SS and was blown away by every aspect of it

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[bbcoach]

Another vote for Spring Creek.  I have a Bloodwood over Black Walnut that is all turkey. 

[TauntoHawk]

tough question to say "best"... you can buy glued boxes that will kill all day in the right hands for $25 or spend hundreds and be on a waiting list for over a year and get a piece of art work that will actually make turkeys come in and break their own necks  ... ok I made that last part up


For most of us we want something that sounds great, is pleasant to look at but not so fancy we don't mind tossing it in a vest and toting it around the woods. For that SS field grade is a tough call to beat, Billy White, Eric Rice, Dave Tryees all also make well know and trusted boxes for the under $100 crowd.

[ol bob]

The best is the one that you like the looks and sound of 99% will kill a turkey if you can run it. So the best is what you like it is the best for you. Now ones vote counts.

[dreis3]

I am also looking for a custom call...

Anyone have one of Paul's Calls, from Albert Paul?  How do they compare to SS calls?

What makes a custom call good?

You can't go wrong with either of these makers... I have numerous calls from both and would hate to have to choose just one.  That being said, I'd probably go with SS, just seems that Al and Josh hit the sound I want spot on every time.

What makes a custom call good?  The same thing that makes any other call good, the sound, which in the vast majority of cases will be superior to any production call.  Another advantage of custom calls is being able to discuss the sound you're looking for with the callmaker which allows him to choose the best wood combos and tune the call to meet the sound you want.  Plus, not that it matters to the turkeys but custom calls are serious eye candy.

[bamagtrdude]

What makes a custom call good?  The same thing that makes any other call good, the sound, which in the vast majority of cases will be superior to any production call.  Another advantage of custom calls is being able to discuss the sound you're looking for with the callmaker which allows him to choose the best wood combos and tune the call to meet the sound you want.  Plus, not that it matters to the turkeys but custom calls are serious eye candy.

+1 on this right here; custom calls are "better" b/c it gets the sound you're looking for, and customer service directly with the person making the exact call that will wind up in your hands is what you get with a custom builder.

Have to say, Mike @ Spring Creek is a *delight* to deal with; very humble guy, and EXTREMELY responsive to you.  The wood he's using for his calls is top-notch, and better yet, the sound is spot-on for the birds I'm hunting in AL; proof is in the pudding, 7 birds this year dead w/his calls between myself & another buddy that got a couple of his boxes.

[turkey john]

What sounds good to one person might not sound good to another. You can take 20 identical boxes and they will have different tones. Boxes have sweet spots and need to be practiced with to find it.
Some need to be tuned regularly others not so much. Also they change pitch and tone from yr to yr as the wood ages. Generally the older a cedar call the better it sounds.  Boxes are like musical instruments. When you find that good one you protect it and treat it with reverence. ... I love finding a new box and taking a bird with it. Guess that's why I have a couple hundred box calls... lol