A molded CRONK howler?

[AWSparrows]

It's OK To Use Molded Tone Boards

Thanks Al

I'm not uncomfortable with my calls nor am I trying to justify my use of molded tone boards. It kinda erked me when someone told me I should not consider my calls as custom calls and then I was givin that same impression here. I just like to hear others thoughts and opinions on the matter.


With a wife, three young kids (4th on the way), house with 3 acres of grass to mow, a cabin to maintain, 3 dogs, 2 cats, hunting everything else (besides fox & coyotes), trapping, other hobbys: drag racing/showing my cars & rock crawling my truck, hiking, fishing, and the list goes on & on, I'm not near as serious about call making as you guys. I make calls mostly right before and during fox/coyote season. I have not even looked at my lathe in a few weeks, I got back into 4-wheeling and have been working on my truck.
To sum it all up I'm happy with what I make in the time I have to make it.

To my knowledge no one was/is fighting.
Sorry to get ya worked up.
Aaron

[THO Game Calls]

Both of you guys need to step back and look at your work and ask yourself if you are happy with what you are doing.  If you answer that question with YES, then it should not make any difference what other people think.  Oh I know we all want the approval of others, and it hurts when we don't get it or we hear that someone said this or that about our calls.  It's a tough pill to swallow. 

But if you want to really get some perspective on this whole call making thing, go have a look at some of the best trumpet call makers,  Even some of the duck call guys, though that market is getting just as flooded as the predator call market is, and you will walk away just shaking your head and wondering just how the heck they do what they do.  It will either make you quit or strive to do better.  The first time you see a matched set of 4 ivory trumpets in a hand made box, with real gold bands, and inlays and opals and all the other goodies, you will have a reall hard time calling yourself a custom call maker.  You'll want to go hide under a rug somewhere.  But both of you have great potential.  Aaron you laminate as well as anyone, and you have some beautiful woods.   Rick, your turning has come farther than anyone else on these boards in the last 3 or 4 years.   You practically brought all the spring bok and other fancy horns into the predator call world by yourself.   

For each of us though, there is a path we want to follow wth this hobby.  Some may want to carve or use fancy woods or exoctic horns and make calls that are just too darn pretty to take into the woods.  Some may want to make calls that call critters by the droves and could care less how they look.  The bottom line, is it is your choice.   Remember that we do this for fun, for enjoyment, and for the pride of making something with our own hands.   That other people appreciate it is a bonus, but it is not the end all if we are doing the best we can to achieve our goals and we are happy with our results.

I hope to see both of you post calls here.  Molded tone boards or ones you made makes no difference.   Put your best work out there and be proud of it.  No one in the workd can fault you for that. 

AL
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com

[bearmanric]

thank's Al that make's sense. i just have to keep working on my toneboard's it will come to me and do the other to get's frustrating.. if you want you can bonk me with one of your bonker's. those are extremely nice. Rick

[AWSparrows]

Al,

Great post, VERY true.

Thanks

[Todd Rahm]

Hey fellers, 

I think there are several different issues going here.

The initial "Tone Board" post was about two particular tone boards, that so happen to be bulking and distracting. From my point of view, that was shared by several others.

Some how to call makers appeared to think that it was thier calls that were being talked about, when it wasn't about them or any other call maker at the time, but about the tone board, Still Is think. 

Heres my final on those tone boards........I will not spend my money on a call that utilizes them, until a call maker finds a way to make them not distract from his handy work..........period. Thats me. I have no other issues with the smaller molded tone boards being used. If its presented right I'm on it, if its not I'm not.

Where my post sort of turned was another issue of preference by others, and I to agree with them. The new subject was the difference of hand made tone boards, molded tone boards, and the prefrences folks have.

A hand made tone board (Antler, Wood, etc), especially in the hands of a someone that knows what they are doing, is a premium, and if the fella is really good it will effect the sales and prices of his call from the start, and if he is still learning, and gets better.............his calls will be more sought after, and command a little higher price. (Krusty might be a good time to make a come back) 

Delrin, PVC(Basically any thing not molded) and other materials fall  in this above group, but might or might not bring the recognition or price of the more natural mediums.

Next is the "Molded" tone boards. These boards have a place in call making and they work and some work well. They are designed and sold for exactly what they are...........to assist new fellers that don't know how to do, and to the folks that don't want to do, but basically a quick means to an end. Most new call makers use them, some move on to doing thier own and better thing, some become great at using the molded stuff and making it look great, and a few just keep on sticking tone boards in wooden barrels and wonder why stuff doesn't sell as well, and eventually fall from the call making scene. Fellas with the internet, this is now the world of custom calls, and most folks are leaning that way, or lean that way as soon as they get started. (Could be a target group to grab by the horns) 

Aaron there is realy no difference at using a molded tone board or inserting a JC Reed in a call, except that the JC Reed is hidden, and the tone board either looks great thanks to the hands of the maker, or looks like a sore thumb. Basically its exposed, and they both are customs, it just depends ho much the maker wants to make it look custom.

Rich probably wouldn't have made the name he has for himself using molded tone baords, and the point I think Al is making is, that Rich is not buying a tone board made by another maker and using it in his new howler. He is designing it and having molded after his tone board, in essence his and his work alone. So its two differnt subjects totally....apples and oranges if ya will?

Its acceptable for someone to use molded tone boards as long as they design it and have someone else mold it for them.

Its acceptable for the call maker to use what ever he wants to use, its his call. Rich is not buying a tone board from WoodsWise putting it in his horn and selling the molded horn, and I don't think he'll be selling his molded howler as a custom call either. Another Apples oranges issue and kind a grasp.

Aaron your first intital post was almost like your were taking pride in proving somone wrong, more then debating the issue at hand. I'm in no way shape offended, effected by the debate, and nor do I take it out of context(Ie Fighting). I appreciate the fact that you ask these questions and debate them. In times past most call makers spoke these issues behind the scenes and never brought them to the front, and they stewed. Now they are coming out and getting debated.................groovy cool. 

[Todd Rahm]

Rick,

Buddy I just can't praise ya enough about your call and how far ya have came, and I think you'll be around for a long time. I just think ya need a better PR/Media agent. 

OK THIS TALK IS HURTING LORENS BUSSINESS I WAS GOING TO ORDER 50 TONEBOARDS BUT IF I DO WILL I STAY BEING A LOWER CLASS CALLMAKER. THIS STUFF HAS GOT ME MIXED UP I'M GOING TO DROP MY PLASTICSPRINGHORN CALL. DONT FEEL RIGHT MAKING THEM AFTER ALL THE TALK SPARROWS THING WHAT YOUR SAYING ABOUT FELLOW CALLMAKERS. REASON I'M TALKING THIS WAY IS CALLMAKING ON A CERTAIN BOARD HAS CHANGED GREATLY. THERE IS COPYING' NO MORAL'S ANYMORE. IT IS JUST NUT'S. I CANT MAKE A GOOD CALL ANY MORE.NOT FOR THE MONEY EITHER.RIGHT NOW I FEEL LIKE IF I USE A MOLDED TONEBOARD I'M A SHIT CALLER.Rickt

I don't think anything is hurting Lorens business. If ya think something is, is please explain. Matter fact I think he is doing quite well. His deal is to make and sell tone boards to call makers, and its the call makers responsabilty is to take the raw product and make it look good with thier calls. You can choose to take the product and make it into a simple hunting grade call, or ya can take the product and make a nice custom call. Its up to the call maker. 

I'm not sure what Aaron is saying about other call makers thats bad? I think your refering to PM going down the toilet?  Your right it is nuts. You make great calls, the only person that seems to have issues with them is..............you?    Your far from a Shit call maker Rick. Keep using molded tone boards. (Remember the initial post was about the bulky ones, and the transition to the call)

your just saying us callmakers that use a molded toneboard isnt going any were.

I don't think thats what he said at all Rick. I think he was debating the molded tonebard as a whole because he uses them "And someone told him they weren't customs" Who said that crap?  :shck:

very good post. see i want to make toneboard and i'm going to soon. everyone has there call price's way down.i dont want to use my real good wood's. i had a great price on to killer tuned snakewood call's last week. everyone want's the cheap stuff. this is kinda sad to say but i use to buy alot of the other callmaker's call's. i dont any more. so i have a idea were todd and yo guy's are coming from. thing's have changed for the worse. sorry Sparrow's if i implied anything this call making stuff is messed up right now. Rick

Rick some have thier prices down and others to high.  How you feel about a new call maker that we know nothing about, pops up tomorrow with a basic, not so well finished call, is asking the same price as one of your calls. His call doesn't even measure up yet to yours but he thinks because you get that price he should too. 

The guys that want the cheap stuff arent really into the market for high end customs. Solution.............making a hunting grade line of calls from any where between $10 and $20, that works. Then make those higher end customs for the fellas that want them. Like me. 

Things haven't changed for the worse, matter fact just the opposite. With the new influx of call makers, the cream is is just rising to the top faster. Just more noticable now then two years ago. It boiles down to settling at the bootm or rising with that cream. I agree though Rick it is changing, but I think for the better. 

Rick one last thing..........the molded calls you and KO are making, are a venture your taking together. If they are priced right and are good they will sell. They only down side is there are hundreds of productions to compete with, and you thought the customs were competative.  :shck:

What it boiles down to is were are all on the same side, and no one is picking on anyone. Its just ideas and opinions. What it comes to head..............is just what Al said. What do you as the call maker want?