How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

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How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby Olly » Tue May 28, 2013 10:41 am

Been threatening for some time to put what I've found the most Murphy-proof duck call tuning method down in writing and finally got around to taking a couple photos to illustrate the process today. So here goes...

You'll need the call, a fresh cork, one or two new, uncut reeds, a sharp knife, sharp scissors and a fine tipped marking pen. (I prefer the "Extra Fine" Sharpie, but had what I had.)

calltuning002.jpg


Whether the call is new or not, if its current cork doesn't fit snuggly in its notch WITHOUT THE REED IN PLACE, change it before proceeding. It is impossible to determine the call's best tuning if the cork is not fresh enough to put proper pressure on the reed. Remove the reed and old cork from their “J” slot, wet a fresh cork with saliva and push it all the way into the slot by itself, without reed, so it’s centered in the slot and sticks out both sides equally. Then with a sharp blade, trim away the excess cork, working form its toneboard end to the back of the “J” slot, taking care to follow the insert’s bevel without cutting into the insert, itself. Remove the fresh cork for now and remember to slicken it with spit every time you push it back into the slot.

The "catch-22" of call tuning is that you can not know what the optimum reed length is until after you've trimmed too much. The work-around for that being never to cut your current best sounding reed. Always use your current best reed as a template for where to begin cutting on another.

We'll assume we're starting with a call that's reed is of at least functional length. If it's "heavy" and/or too low pitched, we should only need one new, uncut reed to help us find the call's best-for-us tuning. If it's "light" and/or too high pitched, it will require two new, uncut reeds to determine the call's best-for-us tuning. Though my personal preferences may play into it, I suspect calls are generally much more apt to come with too much, rather than too little reed length.

Before cutting on a new reed, we'll lay the current one on it and square up their butt ends:

calltuning003.jpg


and mark the new reed along the working end of the old one:

calltuning005.jpg


Naturally, if the current reed is too short, or even possibly so, you'll want to be extra careful to allow plenty of leeway before making your first careful cut. And from that cut on, it is critical to remember that it's much easier to trim too much than too little. The sliver shown here is too big:

calltuning014.jpg



If you're only getting such small slivers that you're not even cutting all the way across the reed, great! The reed doesn't need to be square, just properly tuned.

After each tiny slice, assemble the call and give it go. Again, don't get impatient, as very small cuts affect big changes. As soon as you feel you're close, nip small dog ears off the reed's corners and try it again, could be all it took. And when you find yourself with a better sounding reed than the one you began with STOP CUTTING ON IT!

If the new reed is now shorter than the original, you can start snipping a hair at a time off the original until it either sounds better than the new "best" or has been cut too far. In the later case, you've found that your new reed is as well tuned as the call will get for you. But if you manage to make the original reed sound better, you'll stop experimenting with it and repeat the trimming process with the now second best one. And so on until you've gone one snip too far with one reed but are left with a best reed in hand.

If, however, your new reed sounded better than the original before it was as short as it, you'll need a second new, uncut reed to begin experimenting with and can discard the original as no longer being of use. Just use your new best reed as a template to mark the other new one and proceed as above, again, until you have gone a tiny snip too far but still have the best possible reed in hand.

Sounds a lot more complicated than it is.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Rick for sharing your method. Tuning a call is an art that I'm always trying to master.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby Flightstopper » Tue May 28, 2013 10:43 am

Great sticky, I know many people have found a lot of help in that exact post.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby aunt betty » Tue May 28, 2013 11:29 am

Lotta people fear this topic. This is one of those steps to getting to be a pro at calling.
Like math, you cant skip trig to get to calc. Simply wont work.
If you want to kill more ducks, take your calls apart and learn to tune them in the field.
Carry spare calls and reeds in your bag. :thumbsup:
These are handy to have.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby rebelp74 » Tue May 28, 2013 3:49 pm

AB, you can skip trig and go into calculus. Trig is a waste, so is calculus.
Reinstate TomKat

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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby NuffDaddy » Tue May 28, 2013 4:02 pm

rebelp74 wrote:AB, you can skip trig and go into calculus. Trig is a waste, so is calculus.

I wish, trig sucked. Calc is easy...it's all calculator work.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby The Duck Hammer » Tue May 28, 2013 4:42 pm

Trig was one of the easiest classes I ever took but it is not necessary for calculus.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby aunt betty » Tue May 28, 2013 6:38 pm

[quote="rebelp74"]AB, you can skip trig and go into calculus. Trig is a waste, so is calculus.[quote
Bullshit business calc where all you do is derrivitives.
You sure you are an engineer?
What size engine? lol
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby Olly » Tue May 28, 2013 6:40 pm

This is a good post. Let's keep it about tuning duck calls please.

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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby rebelp74 » Tue May 28, 2013 6:47 pm

aunt betty wrote:
rebelp74 wrote:AB, you can skip trig and go into calculus. Trig is a waste, so is calculus.[quote
Bullshit business calc where all you do is derrivitives.
You sure you are an engineer?
What size engine? lol

Unlimited Chief.

Sorry Olly.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby assateague » Thu Apr 03, 2014 3:19 pm

5 blueberry bushes. 3 regular, and 2 pink lemonade.


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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby The Duck Hammer » Thu Apr 03, 2014 3:21 pm

I don't get it?
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby assateague » Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:37 pm

This thread said "latest purchase thread" on tapatalk when I posted this. Sorry. Although I am laughing hysterically at the timing and placement of this post, and how it has absolutely nothing- NOTHING- to with it. Feel free to delete, whoever has that capability.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby Rick » Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:39 pm

I've seen threads take stranger turns. Carry on...
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby Flightstopper » Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:19 pm

assateague wrote:This thread said "latest purchase thread" on tapatalk when I posted this. Sorry. Although I am laughing hysterically at the timing and placement of this post, and how it has absolutely nothing- NOTHING- to with it. Feel free to delete, whoever has that capability.


The fact that this was two part above yours made it all the better.


Olly wrote:This is a good post. Let's keep it about tuning duck calls please.

Sent from my phone.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby aunt betty » Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:01 am

Have met hundreds of duck hunters and seen thousands of calls. In general about 95% of hunters won't touch the reed on their calls out of fear of destroying the tune that world- master so-and-so tuned.
Sending them back in and paying bucks to get them re-tuned and new corks.
Once the call is mine...I really don't want other people touching the guts. Don't mind if they try it out but leave the guts alone. I tune it to me. Everybody is different.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby clampdaddy » Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:11 am

You can really change the characteristics of a call by putting more arch in the reed. Really helps on calls that like to stick.
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Re: How to tune a duck call - The Rick way

Postby Cox Cypress » Fri May 22, 2015 8:23 am

Good stuff.
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