Trying to identify a call maker

[southern_leo]

At NWTF over in the call competition area were these two alloy pots made by "j mcdowell". Never heard of him and I've tried searching online and can't find anything on him. Anyone here familiar? These calls were interesting and VERY loud.

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[MikeStaten]

I spoke to him breifly at the convention but dont have his contact info.  He just started making calls.  Those calls were really high pitched and loud.  With a little experimenting he may be onto something.  Maybe contact the nwtf for his contact info?

[southern_leo]

I spoke to him breifly at the convention but dont have his contact info.  He just started making calls.  Those calls were really high pitched and loud.  With a little experimenting he may be onto something.  Maybe contact the nwtf for his contact info?

Thanks. Yeah, I'm not sure I'd buy one I just wanted to see more of his work. My main issue was it couldn't do quite talk to well because it was so loud. I did like that striker though. It had a nice feel with that metal top. I wish I had used that striker on a wood pot over there but I didn't think too at the time.

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[Sir-diealot]

I spoke to him breifly at the convention but dont have his contact info.  He just started making calls.  Those calls were really high pitched and loud.  With a little experimenting he may be onto something.  Maybe contact the nwtf for his contact info?

Thanks. Yeah, I'm not sure I'd buy one I just wanted to see more of his work. My main issue was it couldn't do quite talk to well because it was so loud. I did like that striker though. It had a nice feel with that metal top. I wish I had used that striker on a wood pot over there but I didn't think too at the time.

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This is the only one with that last name on this site, don't think it is who you are looking for but sharing just in case. https://www.callcollector.com/search.html

[HookedonHooks]

Those calls from "Alloy" were certainly interesting.

I definitely think they're onto something with them. The call had a lot of really good chararacteristics of what a call should do, but didn't sound like a turkey. It rolled over with ease, kee kee'd like a champ, and overall played with ease.

The high pitch and loudness can not be explained in a way that you understand unless you ran the call though. It wasn't even close it was the loudest call on the table, and that's saying something because some of the entries were real screamers. It was overall very interesting and not a terrible design/ implementation of that design, it's just the literal mettalic of the pot carries into the sound that made it not sound like a turkey to my ear.

[MikeStaten]

Interesting as the ones i played didn't rollover.

[southern_leo]

Those calls from "Alloy" were certainly interesting.

I definitely think they're onto something with them. The call had a lot of really good chararacteristics of what a call should do, but didn't sound like a turkey. It rolled over with ease, kee kee'd like a champ, and overall played with ease.

The high pitch and loudness can not be explained in a way that you understand unless you ran the call though. It wasn't even close it was the loudest call on the table, and that's saying something because some of the entries were real screamers. It was overall very interesting and not a terrible design/ implementation of that design, it's just the literal mettalic of the pot carries into the sound that made it not sound like a turkey to my ear.

Pretty much summed up my thoughts as well. They were super loud. Couldn't play them quiet if you tried.

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[Josh_Alloy_Calls]

Glad I checked here!!
I have been checking this forum for a good while, mainly for advice combing through the posts.

I have been building these style pots for a good while, and I decided to put in for the NWTF contest, to get some feedback.  I always say if your gonna swing the bat, may as well swing for the fences!!
My calls had no business up there against the champions that were there, and to be honest I felt like an idiot.  Imagine a little league ball player trying out for a major league team!!

After running the calls there, and talking with James Witmer, I gathered some real info to carry back to the workbench.  I actually broke out the laptop and designed a TOTALLY new pot in the hotel room Saturday night after the NWTF.

I seriously have 300-400 calls on my workbench now that I have built over the years that I just went through.  The problem lies in the fact that my assembly was inconsistent on all the calls.  Some calls I clamped with significant force, while others I did not.  That inconsistency negates any opinion I could have from the calls to move forward with.

I have some machines free this weekend, and I will be building my "Nashville Pot".
I intend on running roughly 30 pots, with 6 different designs (bottom thickness / wall thickness / sound board height, etc.)

I do want to say this about my calls at the contest though.  I sincerely hope this doesn't come across as me making excuses.

This contest was my absolute first rodeo, and this was the first time my calls had ever been run by anyone outside of my group of friends.
When I decided to enter the contest, I read the rules online and saw where calls must be submitted by 02/13.  I read that later, and saw where that date was if you were hand delivering the calls.  The deadline was 01/18 if you were shipping them!!
I had no option but to build those calls in one night.  The sound boards were clamped in for roughly 3 hours in a hot box, where I normally leave them alone for 24 hours at room temperature.  I finished gluing in the scratch plates at 3AM on the 17th, and they were delivered to SC on the 18th.  Bad planning is not a reason, it is an excuse, and I wholeheartedly accept that as my own mistake!!

My goal for entering that contest was to gather knowledge and feedback, which I did.  I didn't have the heart to stand there and talk to "TRUE" call makers for fear of embarrassment, being that I am inexperienced.  I am not a timid person, but I wasn't happy with my calls on the table and I was disheartened. 

I will keep you guys in the loop with progress that is made!!

Josh McDowell

[MikeStaten]

Glad I checked here!!
I have been checking this forum for a good while, mainly for advice combing through the posts.

I have been building these style pots for a good while, and I decided to put in for the NWTF contest, to get some feedback.  I always say if your gonna swing the bat, may as well swing for the fences!!
My calls had no business up there against the champions that were there, and to be honest I felt like an idiot.  Imagine a little league ball player trying out for a major league team!!

After running the calls there, and talking with James Witmer, I gathered some real info to carry back to the workbench.  I actually broke out the laptop and designed a TOTALLY new pot in the hotel room Saturday night after the NWTF.

I seriously have 300-400 calls on my workbench now that I have built over the years that I just went through.  The problem lies in the fact that my assembly was inconsistent on all the calls.  Some calls I clamped with significant force, while others I did not.  That inconsistency negates any opinion I could have from the calls to move forward with.

I have some machines free this weekend, and I will be building my "Nashville Pot".
I intend on running roughly 30 pots, with 6 different designs (bottom thickness / wall thickness / sound board height, etc.)

I do want to say this about my calls at the contest though.  I sincerely hope this doesn't come across as me making excuses.

This contest was my absolute first rodeo, and this was the first time my calls had ever been run by anyone outside of my group of friends.
When I decided to enter the contest, I read the rules online and saw where calls must be submitted by 02/13.  I read that later, and saw where that date was if you were hand delivering the calls.  The deadline was 01/18 if you were shipping them!!
I had no option but to build those calls in one night.  The sound boards were clamped in for roughly 3 hours in a hot box, where I normally leave them alone for 24 hours at room temperature.  I finished gluing in the scratch plates at 3AM on the 17th, and they were delivered to SC on the 18th.  Bad planning is not a reason, it is an excuse, and I wholeheartedly accept that as my own mistake!!

My goal for entering that contest was to gather knowledge and feedback, which I did.  I didn't have the heart to stand there and talk to "TRUE" call makers for fear of embarrassment, being that I am inexperienced.  I am not a timid person, but I wasn't happy with my calls on the table and I was disheartened. 

I will keep you guys in the loop with progress that is made!!

Josh McDowell

I was with Witmer when you were talking with him.  I think once you make some of the changes he suggested you will have a unique design and better sounding call.  I'm not a callmaker but others on this site are and im sure they'd be happy to provide additional suggestions.  From my perspective the fit and finish of your calls really jumped out, they flat out look cool.  From a sound perspective, the ones i played were a little high pitched and tough to get to rollover. That said i didn't play them all.  I know i definitely played the aluminums and another surface but don't remember the other surface.  I think id play around with using a mellower sound board material, making the pot deeper and using less or smaller holes on the back.  Hope this doesn't sound critical as its not, i think you made some nice calls and hope to get to play the next batch.

[Josh_Alloy_Calls]

Mike,
I genuinely appreciate any and all feedback that you provided/will provide.

In the design world, people have a tendency to have a design in mind, and they have trouble veering from that design, even when confronted with bad results.  I am no different, but I am working on it!!

When I got the feedback and results, I decided to rethink every single aspect of the call.
I intend on putting some documentation together to show you guys, so we can all learn. 
I will post some pics hopefully this weekend of what I am building.

Would anyone be up for me sending a few calls for critique after I finish this batch (if they sound good)?

[MikeStaten]

Id definitely be interested in trying out some of them

[Turkeytider]

Mike,
I genuinely appreciate any and all feedback that you provided/will provide.

In the design world, people have a tendency to have a design in mind, and they have trouble veering from that design, even when confronted with bad results.  I am no different, but I am working on it!!

When I got the feedback and results, I decided to rethink every single aspect of the call.
I intend on putting some documentation together to show you guys, so we can all learn. 
I will post some pics hopefully this weekend of what I am building.

Would anyone be up for me sending a few calls for critique after I finish this batch (if they sound good)?

Josh, with this approach, you WILL be a success.

[southern_leo]

Glad I checked here!!
I have been checking this forum for a good while, mainly for advice combing through the posts.

I have been building these style pots for a good while, and I decided to put in for the NWTF contest, to get some feedback.  I always say if your gonna swing the bat, may as well swing for the fences!!
My calls had no business up there against the champions that were there, and to be honest I felt like an idiot.  Imagine a little league ball player trying out for a major league team!!

After running the calls there, and talking with James Witmer, I gathered some real info to carry back to the workbench.  I actually broke out the laptop and designed a TOTALLY new pot in the hotel room Saturday night after the NWTF.

I seriously have 300-400 calls on my workbench now that I have built over the years that I just went through.  The problem lies in the fact that my assembly was inconsistent on all the calls.  Some calls I clamped with significant force, while others I did not.  That inconsistency negates any opinion I could have from the calls to move forward with.

I have some machines free this weekend, and I will be building my "Nashville Pot".
I intend on running roughly 30 pots, with 6 different designs (bottom thickness / wall thickness / sound board height, etc.)

I do want to say this about my calls at the contest though.  I sincerely hope this doesn't come across as me making excuses.

This contest was my absolute first rodeo, and this was the first time my calls had ever been run by anyone outside of my group of friends.
When I decided to enter the contest, I read the rules online and saw where calls must be submitted by 02/13.  I read that later, and saw where that date was if you were hand delivering the calls.  The deadline was 01/18 if you were shipping them!!
I had no option but to build those calls in one night.  The sound boards were clamped in for roughly 3 hours in a hot box, where I normally leave them alone for 24 hours at room temperature.  I finished gluing in the scratch plates at 3AM on the 17th, and they were delivered to SC on the 18th.  Bad planning is not a reason, it is an excuse, and I wholeheartedly accept that as my own mistake!!

My goal for entering that contest was to gather knowledge and feedback, which I did.  I didn't have the heart to stand there and talk to "TRUE" call makers for fear of embarrassment, being that I am inexperienced.  I am not a timid person, but I wasn't happy with my calls on the table and I was disheartened. 

I will keep you guys in the loop with progress that is made!!

Josh McDowell

Hey man I'm really glad you found this thread. I hope nothing I said seemed to harsh. I do feel like they were very loud calls and I couldn't do quit talk. I think a little adjusting could help some but I think the inherent nature of a metal pot will produce a loud call. Maybe a slate over slate would be interesting to hear in these pots. I appreciate your hustle to out your pots in the show. Your work is awesome! I think you have something worth pursuing. I liked your strikers also. You should consider a facebook page for your calls for people to find you. I'm definitely interested in seeing where you go with this. Good luck man!

Btw - it was smart to enter your calls, just look at this thread. I posted once now several people are getting to see talk about your calls! Keep it up brother!

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[appalachianstruttstopper]

Glad I checked here!!
I have been checking this forum for a good while, mainly for advice combing through the posts.

I have been building these style pots for a good while, and I decided to put in for the NWTF contest, to get some feedback.  I always say if your gonna swing the bat, may as well swing for the fences!!
My calls had no business up there against the champions that were there, and to be honest I felt like an idiot.  Imagine a little league ball player trying out for a major league team!!

After running the calls there, and talking with James Witmer, I gathered some real info to carry back to the workbench.  I actually broke out the laptop and designed a TOTALLY new pot in the hotel room Saturday night after the NWTF.

I seriously have 300-400 calls on my workbench now that I have built over the years that I just went through.  The problem lies in the fact that my assembly was inconsistent on all the calls.  Some calls I clamped with significant force, while others I did not.  That inconsistency negates any opinion I could have from the calls to move forward with.

I have some machines free this weekend, and I will be building my "Nashville Pot".
I intend on running roughly 30 pots, with 6 different designs (bottom thickness / wall thickness / sound board height, etc.)

I do want to say this about my calls at the contest though.  I sincerely hope this doesn't come across as me making excuses.

This contest was my absolute first rodeo, and this was the first time my calls had ever been run by anyone outside of my group of friends.
When I decided to enter the contest, I read the rules online and saw where calls must be submitted by 02/13.  I read that later, and saw where that date was if you were hand delivering the calls.  The deadline was 01/18 if you were shipping them!!
I had no option but to build those calls in one night.  The sound boards were clamped in for roughly 3 hours in a hot box, where I normally leave them alone for 24 hours at room temperature.  I finished gluing in the scratch plates at 3AM on the 17th, and they were delivered to SC on the 18th.  Bad planning is not a reason, it is an excuse, and I wholeheartedly accept that as my own mistake!!

My goal for entering that contest was to gather knowledge and feedback, which I did.  I didn't have the heart to stand there and talk to "TRUE" call makers for fear of embarrassment, being that I am inexperienced.  I am not a timid person, but I wasn't happy with my calls on the table and I was disheartened. 

I will keep you guys in the loop with progress that is made!!

Josh McDowell

You in Danville va? Shoot me a PM. I'm about an hour from you and will help you however I can.

[Gen.27:3]

Glad I checked here!!
I have been checking this forum for a good while, mainly for advice combing through the posts.

I have been building these style pots for a good while, and I decided to put in for the NWTF contest, to get some feedback.  I always say if your gonna swing the bat, may as well swing for the fences!!
My calls had no business up there against the champions that were there, and to be honest I felt like an idiot.  Imagine a little league ball player trying out for a major league team!!

After running the calls there, and talking with James Witmer, I gathered some real info to carry back to the workbench.  I actually broke out the laptop and designed a TOTALLY new pot in the hotel room Saturday night after the NWTF.

I seriously have 300-400 calls on my workbench now that I have built over the years that I just went through.  The problem lies in the fact that my assembly was inconsistent on all the calls.  Some calls I clamped with significant force, while others I did not.  That inconsistency negates any opinion I could have from the calls to move forward with.

I have some machines free this weekend, and I will be building my "Nashville Pot".
I intend on running roughly 30 pots, with 6 different designs (bottom thickness / wall thickness / sound board height, etc.)

I do want to say this about my calls at the contest though.  I sincerely hope this doesn't come across as me making excuses.

This contest was my absolute first rodeo, and this was the first time my calls had ever been run by anyone outside of my group of friends.
When I decided to enter the contest, I read the rules online and saw where calls must be submitted by 02/13.  I read that later, and saw where that date was if you were hand delivering the calls.  The deadline was 01/18 if you were shipping them!!
I had no option but to build those calls in one night.  The sound boards were clamped in for roughly 3 hours in a hot box, where I normally leave them alone for 24 hours at room temperature.  I finished gluing in the scratch plates at 3AM on the 17th, and they were delivered to SC on the 18th.  Bad planning is not a reason, it is an excuse, and I wholeheartedly accept that as my own mistake!!

My goal for entering that contest was to gather knowledge and feedback, which I did.  I didn't have the heart to stand there and talk to "TRUE" call makers for fear of embarrassment, being that I am inexperienced.  I am not a timid person, but I wasn't happy with my calls on the table and I was disheartened. 

I will keep you guys in the loop with progress that is made!!

Josh McDowell

Thanks for sharing your story with us! Also, I think it's awesome that you entered your calls, everyone has to start somewhere. For what it is worth, it sounds like you are really on to something new in call making. Keep us posted on your new pots.