Some of you have already seen it, but I recently made up a little diddy on how I tune JC reeds for enclosed reed calls, and asked permission to post it here. I get a lot of emails and such from guys starting out making calls, and I sort of geared this towards them in hopes it will help em out some, and maybe others will find it interesting too.
There are many different ways to do this stuff, and everybody has their own preferred way. These are the methods I use most of the time. This is only for the metal reeds, the mylar JC reeds are another ball of wax altogether.
This is going to look a little funny, as I just copied and pasted it it to here from my website, but I think its readable. (The font on my site is weird and it's all caps, it translates to small caps here, sorry)
Mark
![9044743699_d40a0bc96a_z.jpg]( "9044743699_d40a0bc96a_z.jpg")
jc products reeds have been used for decades, and are responsible for the death of many a critter. they give the caller that classic metallic sound that cannot be duplicated by any other means. they are high quality, and they can be tuned from super high pitched bird squeals all the way down to a gravely, gargley jackrabbit scream.
there are many different ways to tune a jc products reed. i just use a few basic methods, which are:
*blading
*shimming
*"finger" tune
before we start, lets take a look at the basic parts of the reed.
in this pic, (a single reed) with the reed disassembled, we see the reed body at the top, and with the pen i am pointing to the "toneboard", this is what the reed is attached to. it is sloped at the tip, to allow air to get up under the reed and make it work, in fact, its just like any reeded musical instrument. below that, we see the reed itself. it is turned upside down so that you can see the crimp that is used to hold it onto the toneboard.
![9049915781_f4dc5cac5c_c.jpg]( "9049915781_f4dc5cac5c_c.jpg")
the most common use for these reeds is rabbit distress, and that is what we are discussing here. there are many different reeds available, including brass, stainless and mylar, in many combinations, but I stick to a few basic styles to keep it simple. the reeds i am using here are all stainless. (as of 2012 jc products has revamped their reed selection and renumbered their reeds. the model numbers below are the new designations.)
the reed in the pic below, is a double reed, in this case a mvdr-002 (new designation). the top reed has 2 dimples impressed in it, to keep the 2 reeds from sticking together (in theory). each reed is .002 thick, stamped stainless steel. this reed is a reed I like to use for my adult cottontail sounds. it can be tuned to simply high pitched with no rasp, or tuned all raspy at any volume, or it can be tuned to blow clean, high pitch at low volume, and real raspy when you step on it. it can also be tuned low for raspy jackrabbit sounds.
![9044846823_15c84b3abc_z.jpg]( "9044846823_15c84b3abc_z.jpg")
the reed in the next pic is an mv-002 (new designation). it is a single reed, .002 thick. i like to use this reed for my jackrabbit sounds. i also use it for fawn distress.
![9047073216_7963361ae3_z.jpg]( "9047073216_7963361ae3_z.jpg")
ok, lets get to the rat killin'. i order my reeds bulk, 250 in a bag. nowdays, jc products will allow you to order them pre-tuned, with different 'tapers", (or bend) in the reed. i like to do this myself, which is the point of this tutorial, so i order them with 'no taper", in other words, un -tuned.
****i am not going to go into specifics on how to tune for the certain sounds that you may want here, i am only going to show you the mechanics of tuning. only you and your ears can determine what sounds good to you.
the first thing you do when you pull a new reed from the bag, is test it. drop it in a call and blow it a bit, to see what it is doing. some may sound great right out of the chute, some ok, and some may not make a peep, and a few reeds will be unusable altogether, as some get destroyed when they get bagged up. this step is crucial though. with a little experience, you will know about how much tuning you need to do ,to get where you want to be, with that particular reed.
1) first up is the "blading" method. this is simply taking a standard razor blade , putting it under the reed,and gently lifting the reed upwards, very slightly, giving it a permanent bend. this changes the tone and pitch of the reed when you blow it. this will usually give it a lower pitch, more rasp (sometimes ,depending on the reed) and ,if overdone, will make the reed unusable, so be careful. do this a little at a time, do not try to bend the crap out of the reed in the first try.
so. . . . as you can see the razor is slid under the reed, and i am lifting upwards, obviously demonstrating with one hand so i can take the pic, but you get the idea. the reed should bend like this, more or less) a little at a time, tested in the call, then so forth untill you reach the desired sound. thats all there is to it.
(one note..the reeds are held onto the sloped toneboard by a crimp. be careful not to slide the blade to far down to the base of the reed, you may break the crimp and loosen the reed up off the toneboard.)
..and another note ...another way to tune with the razor blade is to slide them under the reed, to the base, then press the reed down onto the blade, creating a bend in the reed. i do not use this method, though many do.
![9047219132_6d138d26bf_z.jpg]( "9047219132_6d138d26bf_z.jpg")
2) the second method is "shimming", and is the method I use the most, especially on the double reeds. with this method you will need a set of automotive gauges. (shims) you can get them at any autozone, o'reilly's etc.
![9047242788_287e069e15_z.jpg]( "9047242788_287e069e15_z.jpg")
you dont need all these shims, but you will need to find the ones that you like to tune your reeds with, and this only comes with trial and error.
so, as in the pic below, holding the reed in one hand, you slide the shim up under the reed, gently, and slide the shim all the way in untill it touches the base (where the crimp is/starts)of the reed. you do not lift upwards or anything else. just a quick, straight, slide in, then remove. this will permanently bend the reed upwards, changing pitch and rasp. also, you actually want to gently hold your thumb on the base of the reed, on top,where the crimp is, while doing this operation, to keep from accidently loosening the crimp with the sliding shim.
this method is fast and easy once you find the right shim size that works for you. you can tune many reeds in a short amount of time, and they will be consistent in sound.
note....another way to tune with gauge shims is to slide them under the reed, to the base then press the reed down onto the shim, creating a bend in the reed. this works well when you get the hang of it, but for me, it is not as consistent as the main method i described above.
![9047347324_cb7b9939cd_z.jpg]( "9047347324_cb7b9939cd_z.jpg")
3) the last method i use is "finger tuning". i use this method mainly on single reeds. all you do is take the reed in your hand, and gently"flick" the reed up several times with your fingertip. just a few quick flicks will often tune the reed where you want it. i personally tune my jackrabbit reeds this way. it may take several trys to get it there, but it works well, and most custom call makers use this method. remember, just small, quick flicks, your not really trying to bend the reed, just seperate it from the toneboard a bit, creating a little more gap between the toneboard and reed, so more air can get under the reed.
![9046999026_97dd639a19_z.jpg]( "9046999026_97dd639a19_z.jpg")
so . . .those are my 3 main methods for reed tuning. these simple methods, when done right, will result in a reed that sounds good, blows easy, and lasts a long time. there are many more methods out there, like sanding the reed, creasing the reed, shaving the reed, weighting the reed etc., but sometimes when you go to those lengths to tune reeds, it more often than not, will result in a reed that is hard to blow, and/or will not last long. also note, that how a reed is held inside the call affects the sound somewhat, as does call design, but ill comment on that in the "Building an Enclosed Reed Call" tutorial.
hope this helps you out if you try your hand at tuning reeds for enclosed reed calls.
the enclosed reed call is just that, a call that has the reed mounted inside the call body. this style of call has been around for decades, and has been the demise of many an animal. it is easy to use, and has great sound, with a very short learning curve, you are ready to do some damage.
this style of call though, like any type of call really, has it's pros and cons. it also has a certain stigma attached to it, that may or may not be deserved.
among the pros, are ease of use. these calls are extremely easy to pick up and make good sounds with right off the bat. you do not have to be especially skilled to kill animals with it. you simply blow into it, get your hand jive going at the exhaust end, and you are calling critters in. of course, persistence and being in good calling areas help out a bunch with that as well.
another pro.... the availability of reeds, in many different sounds . there is a mind blowing amount of reed combinations available for these calls. there always have been really, but jc products has stepped up their game recently, and now offer a ton of reeds in many different tunings. you can literally have a different sound every day, for a year, if you wanted. reeds are readily available, reasonably priced, and you can install them yourself.
and still another pro.... that classic metallic sound. you cant get it with anything else. there may be more realistic sounding calls out there for a good many sounds, but when it comes to rabbit, fawn, bird distress etc, jc reeds have a sound all thier own, and cannot be duplicated easily. most people are only familiar with the rabbit distress that these reeds are comonly used for, but these reeds can do many different things.
among the cons, is the fact that enclosed reed calls will, and do, freeze up in cold weather. this is the biggest problem with these calls. you are blowing a lot of hot, moist air through these calls, and in cold climates, that moisture will freeze the reeds shut. this can be overcome somewhat by keeping the reeds warm between stands by carrying them inside your shirt close to your body and whatnot. blowing backwards through the barrel will also warm up the reeds a bit, and also blow some of the moisture out. i will do this a few times while on stand, calling. it takes 2 seconds, and can be done silently and with little movement. you can also carry spare reeds to change out as well, although i generally wait and do this in the truck if i can, in comfort. i will carry a spare call on stand for backup sometimes as well.
another con...reeds blow out/lock up (even in hot weather)...yes, reeds wear out and/or lock up for apparently no reason sometimes. these reeds are a little fragile, they are made of stamped metal sheet, as thin as .002 thick. they can be overblown, resulting in the reed tweaking out of shape, or actually splitting, which ruins the reed. this is another reason to carry spare reeds and know how to change them out. most people over blow these calls, killing the reeds. you only have to put a little air through these calls to get them to work. there are times when you want to step on it and get crazy on em, but thats not all the time. realize what you are doing in the moment, and only use the air you need, to work the call.
the stigma...."these are beginners calls" ,,,,yep, they are, because they are so simple to use, but they were created by serious, professional callers back in the day, and still used by most serious callers today, even in this age of digital e-calls, although some of them dont like to admit it. i was this way at one time too, most guys are , to tell the truth. you progress to open reeds, diaphragms or whatever, and since those calls take more skill to master, you think you are some sort of pro caller, and wouldnt be caught dead with an enclosed reed call. in reality, you are only giving up a very useful tool in the toolbox, and limiting yourself. these days, i wouldnt even think about going calling without my entire bag of tricks. my time, my fuel, and everything else is to valuable to limit myself to one or two types of calls. if i can run it, im taking it. you never know what animals want on any given day.
in conclusion, enclosed reed calls may be a little old school, a little temperamental, and difficult at times, but are extremely worthwhile to carry. in my opinion, they do not really deserve the bad rap they get nowdays. they are not out of date. they have a lot going for them, if you take the time to get to know them, and maintain them. granted, it takes a bit more love to keep them running sometimes, but it's worth it. IM NOT SAYING THEY ARE THE BEST THING AROUND, we all know there are kickass open reeds,diaphragms, and what all else out there, that can seemingly do it all, but like i stated above, why limit yourself? learn to use them all....and use them.......including the lowly enclosed reed call.
Mark
There are many different ways to do this stuff, and everybody has their own preferred way. These are the methods I use most of the time. This is only for the metal reeds, the mylar JC reeds are another ball of wax altogether.
This is going to look a little funny, as I just copied and pasted it it to here from my website, but I think its readable. (The font on my site is weird and it's all caps, it translates to small caps here, sorry)
Mark
jc products reeds have been used for decades, and are responsible for the death of many a critter. they give the caller that classic metallic sound that cannot be duplicated by any other means. they are high quality, and they can be tuned from super high pitched bird squeals all the way down to a gravely, gargley jackrabbit scream.
there are many different ways to tune a jc products reed. i just use a few basic methods, which are:
*blading
*shimming
*"finger" tune
before we start, lets take a look at the basic parts of the reed.
in this pic, (a single reed) with the reed disassembled, we see the reed body at the top, and with the pen i am pointing to the "toneboard", this is what the reed is attached to. it is sloped at the tip, to allow air to get up under the reed and make it work, in fact, its just like any reeded musical instrument. below that, we see the reed itself. it is turned upside down so that you can see the crimp that is used to hold it onto the toneboard.
the most common use for these reeds is rabbit distress, and that is what we are discussing here. there are many different reeds available, including brass, stainless and mylar, in many combinations, but I stick to a few basic styles to keep it simple. the reeds i am using here are all stainless. (as of 2012 jc products has revamped their reed selection and renumbered their reeds. the model numbers below are the new designations.)
the reed in the pic below, is a double reed, in this case a mvdr-002 (new designation). the top reed has 2 dimples impressed in it, to keep the 2 reeds from sticking together (in theory). each reed is .002 thick, stamped stainless steel. this reed is a reed I like to use for my adult cottontail sounds. it can be tuned to simply high pitched with no rasp, or tuned all raspy at any volume, or it can be tuned to blow clean, high pitch at low volume, and real raspy when you step on it. it can also be tuned low for raspy jackrabbit sounds.
the reed in the next pic is an mv-002 (new designation). it is a single reed, .002 thick. i like to use this reed for my jackrabbit sounds. i also use it for fawn distress.
ok, lets get to the rat killin'. i order my reeds bulk, 250 in a bag. nowdays, jc products will allow you to order them pre-tuned, with different 'tapers", (or bend) in the reed. i like to do this myself, which is the point of this tutorial, so i order them with 'no taper", in other words, un -tuned.
****i am not going to go into specifics on how to tune for the certain sounds that you may want here, i am only going to show you the mechanics of tuning. only you and your ears can determine what sounds good to you.
the first thing you do when you pull a new reed from the bag, is test it. drop it in a call and blow it a bit, to see what it is doing. some may sound great right out of the chute, some ok, and some may not make a peep, and a few reeds will be unusable altogether, as some get destroyed when they get bagged up. this step is crucial though. with a little experience, you will know about how much tuning you need to do ,to get where you want to be, with that particular reed.
1) first up is the "blading" method. this is simply taking a standard razor blade , putting it under the reed,and gently lifting the reed upwards, very slightly, giving it a permanent bend. this changes the tone and pitch of the reed when you blow it. this will usually give it a lower pitch, more rasp (sometimes ,depending on the reed) and ,if overdone, will make the reed unusable, so be careful. do this a little at a time, do not try to bend the crap out of the reed in the first try.
so. . . . as you can see the razor is slid under the reed, and i am lifting upwards, obviously demonstrating with one hand so i can take the pic, but you get the idea. the reed should bend like this, more or less) a little at a time, tested in the call, then so forth untill you reach the desired sound. thats all there is to it.
(one note..the reeds are held onto the sloped toneboard by a crimp. be careful not to slide the blade to far down to the base of the reed, you may break the crimp and loosen the reed up off the toneboard.)
..and another note ...another way to tune with the razor blade is to slide them under the reed, to the base, then press the reed down onto the blade, creating a bend in the reed. i do not use this method, though many do.
2) the second method is "shimming", and is the method I use the most, especially on the double reeds. with this method you will need a set of automotive gauges. (shims) you can get them at any autozone, o'reilly's etc.
you dont need all these shims, but you will need to find the ones that you like to tune your reeds with, and this only comes with trial and error.
so, as in the pic below, holding the reed in one hand, you slide the shim up under the reed, gently, and slide the shim all the way in untill it touches the base (where the crimp is/starts)of the reed. you do not lift upwards or anything else. just a quick, straight, slide in, then remove. this will permanently bend the reed upwards, changing pitch and rasp. also, you actually want to gently hold your thumb on the base of the reed, on top,where the crimp is, while doing this operation, to keep from accidently loosening the crimp with the sliding shim.
this method is fast and easy once you find the right shim size that works for you. you can tune many reeds in a short amount of time, and they will be consistent in sound.
note....another way to tune with gauge shims is to slide them under the reed, to the base then press the reed down onto the shim, creating a bend in the reed. this works well when you get the hang of it, but for me, it is not as consistent as the main method i described above.
3) the last method i use is "finger tuning". i use this method mainly on single reeds. all you do is take the reed in your hand, and gently"flick" the reed up several times with your fingertip. just a few quick flicks will often tune the reed where you want it. i personally tune my jackrabbit reeds this way. it may take several trys to get it there, but it works well, and most custom call makers use this method. remember, just small, quick flicks, your not really trying to bend the reed, just seperate it from the toneboard a bit, creating a little more gap between the toneboard and reed, so more air can get under the reed.
so . . .those are my 3 main methods for reed tuning. these simple methods, when done right, will result in a reed that sounds good, blows easy, and lasts a long time. there are many more methods out there, like sanding the reed, creasing the reed, shaving the reed, weighting the reed etc., but sometimes when you go to those lengths to tune reeds, it more often than not, will result in a reed that is hard to blow, and/or will not last long. also note, that how a reed is held inside the call affects the sound somewhat, as does call design, but ill comment on that in the "Building an Enclosed Reed Call" tutorial.
hope this helps you out if you try your hand at tuning reeds for enclosed reed calls.
A CALLERS THOUGHTS
the lowly, enclosed reed call, the underdog of the predator calling world
*****************************
there are many different kinds of calls available for the avid predator hunter that likes to make funny noises under his(or her) own power. the enclosed reed call is one of them.the enclosed reed call is just that, a call that has the reed mounted inside the call body. this style of call has been around for decades, and has been the demise of many an animal. it is easy to use, and has great sound, with a very short learning curve, you are ready to do some damage.
this style of call though, like any type of call really, has it's pros and cons. it also has a certain stigma attached to it, that may or may not be deserved.
among the pros, are ease of use. these calls are extremely easy to pick up and make good sounds with right off the bat. you do not have to be especially skilled to kill animals with it. you simply blow into it, get your hand jive going at the exhaust end, and you are calling critters in. of course, persistence and being in good calling areas help out a bunch with that as well.
another pro.... the availability of reeds, in many different sounds . there is a mind blowing amount of reed combinations available for these calls. there always have been really, but jc products has stepped up their game recently, and now offer a ton of reeds in many different tunings. you can literally have a different sound every day, for a year, if you wanted. reeds are readily available, reasonably priced, and you can install them yourself.
and still another pro.... that classic metallic sound. you cant get it with anything else. there may be more realistic sounding calls out there for a good many sounds, but when it comes to rabbit, fawn, bird distress etc, jc reeds have a sound all thier own, and cannot be duplicated easily. most people are only familiar with the rabbit distress that these reeds are comonly used for, but these reeds can do many different things.
among the cons, is the fact that enclosed reed calls will, and do, freeze up in cold weather. this is the biggest problem with these calls. you are blowing a lot of hot, moist air through these calls, and in cold climates, that moisture will freeze the reeds shut. this can be overcome somewhat by keeping the reeds warm between stands by carrying them inside your shirt close to your body and whatnot. blowing backwards through the barrel will also warm up the reeds a bit, and also blow some of the moisture out. i will do this a few times while on stand, calling. it takes 2 seconds, and can be done silently and with little movement. you can also carry spare reeds to change out as well, although i generally wait and do this in the truck if i can, in comfort. i will carry a spare call on stand for backup sometimes as well.
another con...reeds blow out/lock up (even in hot weather)...yes, reeds wear out and/or lock up for apparently no reason sometimes. these reeds are a little fragile, they are made of stamped metal sheet, as thin as .002 thick. they can be overblown, resulting in the reed tweaking out of shape, or actually splitting, which ruins the reed. this is another reason to carry spare reeds and know how to change them out. most people over blow these calls, killing the reeds. you only have to put a little air through these calls to get them to work. there are times when you want to step on it and get crazy on em, but thats not all the time. realize what you are doing in the moment, and only use the air you need, to work the call.
the stigma...."these are beginners calls" ,,,,yep, they are, because they are so simple to use, but they were created by serious, professional callers back in the day, and still used by most serious callers today, even in this age of digital e-calls, although some of them dont like to admit it. i was this way at one time too, most guys are , to tell the truth. you progress to open reeds, diaphragms or whatever, and since those calls take more skill to master, you think you are some sort of pro caller, and wouldnt be caught dead with an enclosed reed call. in reality, you are only giving up a very useful tool in the toolbox, and limiting yourself. these days, i wouldnt even think about going calling without my entire bag of tricks. my time, my fuel, and everything else is to valuable to limit myself to one or two types of calls. if i can run it, im taking it. you never know what animals want on any given day.
in conclusion, enclosed reed calls may be a little old school, a little temperamental, and difficult at times, but are extremely worthwhile to carry. in my opinion, they do not really deserve the bad rap they get nowdays. they are not out of date. they have a lot going for them, if you take the time to get to know them, and maintain them. granted, it takes a bit more love to keep them running sometimes, but it's worth it. IM NOT SAYING THEY ARE THE BEST THING AROUND, we all know there are kickass open reeds,diaphragms, and what all else out there, that can seemingly do it all, but like i stated above, why limit yourself? learn to use them all....and use them.......including the lowly enclosed reed call.
Mark
