Rules of thumb, If..., then... can you help mentor a rookie?

[Worldbladd]

I am in year one of enjoying my new addiction of making pot calls and have turned about a dozen.  I have come up with a design or two that I halfway like - pic attached. 

I appreciate that trial and error are the path to learning - and part of the fun.  I also get that there are a lot of sound factors from wood type to striker to sound board, etc.  But, what I am missing are some basic/general rules of thumb to help me refine the sound.  As an example, a buddy asked me if I could make him a call just like one I showed him but make it raspier?  I told him I had no idea... :-0

Any insight on below:

- If you put the sound board further from the slate, then ___?
- If you make the walls and bottom thicker, then the sound will ___?
- If you make the pedestal thicker, then the call will ___?
- Bigger sound holes make the call ___?
- Harder wood makes the call ___?
- To make a call more raspy, start with ___?

You get the idea. Thanks in advance for anyone willing to share a few secrets!

Mike

[outdoors]

That's the fun of making the calls  is experimental
I don't think somebody is going to share the work,, maybe

[Gobbler2577]

Those are good questions to ask, and necessary for you to find an answer to if you are going to be successful.  The hard truth is the guys that can answer them for you spent years learning those answers and likely will not share that information.  IF you want to be a callmaker you will need to invest a great deal of time and some money to find those answers.  Record everything you do and change one thing at a time, making notes on how that change affected the sound.  Remember this, everything matters.  Measure accurately in very small terms.  Some guys use fractions of an inch and some use decimal places.  It doesnt matter which you choose, but understand you must be able to discern very small differences.  A very small difference can make a very large difference in sound.  My advice would be to pick one wood, one surface and one soundboard and make a dozen calls  changing one thing per call.  You will have a lot more understanding after that. 

Yes this seems like a rude reply, but that is not my intention.  You will be much better in the long run figuring these things out rather than simply being told.  Learning to build a pot call isnt hard.  Learning how NOT to build one can be.

Sent from my SM-G930R7 using Tapatalk

[PEte_A]

lots of good reading here.

https://thogamecallsforums.com/index.php/board,110.0.html

[Greg Massey]

Agree learning is all form trail and era, that's what separates good call builders from great call builders in my opinion ... so keep working at your call building ....

[mastevt]

Maybe i can help ya a bit, point you in the right direction.  Think of this as a musical instrument. 
I'll use a brass instrument as an example, but the basics hold true for all.  Compare a trumpet to a tuba.
Which one has a higher tone?  Which one has a smaller air chamber?  If you can answer both those
Questions, and understand the reason behind them, the same holds true for a pot call. Now your tuning
Comes in.  Pedistal design, and diammeter, effects the tone your air chamber produces.  What happens when you hold your lips tight together in your mouth piece? What happens when you open your lips? 
The same holds true with your air gap.  Your sound holes are gonna be important too.  Not enough, it'll sound muffled.  I will give you one piece that is important.   Keep your ledge as narrow as possible.   The narrower, the better roll over.  But most rollover is produced by the user in his technique.  That said, both the trumpet, and the tuba play beautiful music, and as is with a pot call, it's the end users ability to play the correct notes, to produce the language and vocabulary that the wild turkey responds too.  NOT so much the pitch of the call.  SO! Develope a sound you like!  Using the info I said above.  It will call in a bird.  Given the end user does his part.  If he can't play it, doesn't matter what it sounds like then.  Remember!  None of us all have the same tone in our voices.  Same holds true in turkeys and everything else walking on God's green earth.   Some good advise was given above when someone said build pots all out of 1 material, and change 1 thing at a time, to learn what does what.   I will add to that, build several pots out of different material,  but keep all your specs identical.  Your learn what woods make what tones, and what changes you can make in your specs to tune them by my examples above on the brass instrument.   Good luck, and have fun!

[mmclain]

Build. Fail. Learn.  Build. Fail. Learn. Build. fail.  learn. Build. Fail. Learn.  If you've never failed you don't know a damn thing. 

[Worldbladd]

Thanks to those who provided advice.  Especially mastevt, PEte_A and Gobbler2577! 

I wasn't looking for the Colonels 11 herbs and spices, just some starting basics to point me in the right direction which you were gracious enough to provide.  The insight and link were very helpful. 

The birds of VA, SC & GA will regret me finding this site!