A Headache

[kenturkey89]

Hey Scott,

I'm glad everything finally got figured out for you and your Gibson. I hope your calls do/sell well at the NWTF convention next month!

[Turkeybuster]

They are leaveing the door open to a lot of discussion an controversy , Gibson had the first paten on a turkey call and now it happens to be a long box so who had the first patten on the short box and the boat paddle etc? Lots of stuff here but one thing for sure you got the pot stirred Scott. I wonder how this will affect future classifications at the contests. With the Nationals coming up shortly somebody is going to have some explaining to do and it needs to be recorded and put into the rules of classification.

Jon








Jon

[Limb Hanger]

[font=calibri]Here's something to muddy the water a little more...I purchased a book some time ago, it was put out by the NWTF; titled "TURKEY CALLS", "An Enduring American Folk Art" . It was written by Howard L. Harlan. In chapter 4 it speaks about Gibson box calls, and the Gibson patent; it states "One interesting fact about the Gibson patent is that, while describing the call and its construction very well, at no place does it list any dimensions". "What Gibson patented was an idea, a design". "Be it ten inches or ten feet long, if made the way described in the patent, it was still a Gibson". The book mentions that Gibson secured the patent in 1897, and favored Red Cedar heartwood for calls (for water resistant qualities). The book also mentions that dimensions for a specific Gibson call were given by Davis' The American Wild Turkey, in 1949[/i]. It's a real interesting book. Hope this helps.

[Limb Hanger]

Here's a link to some info about Henry Gibson, a copy of the patent may be viewed as well. http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/callmakers/gibson.htm
 
Ed

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Yep Gibson had a design paten, and that is why it took so long for a Lynch and Cost style calls to come out. They had to wait for Gibson's paten to run out. No matter what shape or size it is, it's still a box call.

[shad309]

Congrats Scott! Hope you blow em out of the water [:D] No offense to the other call makers I know LOL

[Cut N Run]

Good Luck, Scott. If your box calls sound as good as the glass & slate calls I got from you, they'll do great!

Jim

[firelt72]

Taken from The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture

The turkey call was produced for decades, with advertisements appearing as late as 1921. Gibson's original patent did not list specific dimensions, but a 1900 advertisement says the box consisted of a [color="#000066"]one-piece box, ten inches long, one-and-a-quarter inches wide, and two-and-a-half inches deep.[/color] The striker (lid) was attached to the box by a pivot screw that allowed the lid to be scraped across the main box. This basic design is still used by modern turkey hunters and turkey-call makers.

Not sure it helps, but the Gibson seems vague too.