diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/commandline/RodBinding.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/commandline/RodBinding.java
index 41b5bf6f3..e0b1154c4 100644
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/commandline/RodBinding.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/commandline/RodBinding.java
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public final class RodBinding<T extends Feature> {
      * @return the UNBOUND RodBinding producing objects of type T
      */
     @Requires("type != null")
-    public final static <T extends Feature> RodBinding<T> makeUnbound(Class<T> type) {
+    protected final static <T extends Feature> RodBinding<T> makeUnbound(Class<T> type) {
         return new RodBinding<T>(type);
     }
 
diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/arguments/DbsnpArgumentCollection.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/arguments/DbsnpArgumentCollection.java
index 08dbe9934..ce638ff2b 100644
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/arguments/DbsnpArgumentCollection.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/arguments/DbsnpArgumentCollection.java
@@ -39,8 +39,9 @@ import org.simpleframework.xml.*;
 public class DbsnpArgumentCollection {
 
     /**
-      * A dbSNP VCF file.
-      */
+     * A dbSNP VCF file.  Variants in this track will be treated as "known" variants
+     * in tools using this track.
+     */
     @Input(fullName="dbsnp", shortName = "D", doc="dbSNP file", required=false)
     public RodBinding<VariantContext> dbsnp;
 
diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/annotator/VariantAnnotator.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/annotator/VariantAnnotator.java
index f038ea8a3..492606688 100755
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/annotator/VariantAnnotator.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/annotator/VariantAnnotator.java
@@ -61,8 +61,6 @@ public class VariantAnnotator extends RodWalker<Integer, Integer> implements Ann
     protected StandardVariantContextInputArgumentCollection variantCollection = new StandardVariantContextInputArgumentCollection();
 
     /**
-     * A SnpEff output file from which to add annotations.
-     *
      * The INFO field will be annotated with information on the most biologically-significant effect
      * listed in the SnpEff output file for each variant.
      */
@@ -80,8 +78,6 @@ public class VariantAnnotator extends RodWalker<Integer, Integer> implements Ann
     public RodBinding<VariantContext> getDbsnpRodBinding() { return dbsnp.dbsnp; }
 
     /**
-      * A comparisons VCF file or files from which to annotate.
-      *
       * If a record in the 'variant' track overlaps with a record from the provided comp track, the INFO field will be annotated
       *  as such in the output with the track name (e.g. -comp:FOO will have 'FOO' in the INFO field).  Records that are filtered in the comp track will be ignored.
       *  Note that 'dbSNP' has been special-cased (see the --dbsnp argument).
diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariants.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariants.java
index 13a1446b6..16733bc44 100755
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariants.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/SelectVariants.java
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ public class SelectVariants extends RodWalker<Integer, Integer> {
      * or the sample is called reference in this track.
      */
     @Input(fullName="discordance", shortName = "disc", doc="Output variants that were not called in this Feature comparison track", required=false)
-    private RodBinding<VariantContext> discordanceTrack = RodBinding.makeUnbound(VariantContext.class);
+    private RodBinding<VariantContext> discordanceTrack;
 
     /**
      * A site is considered concordant if (1) we are not looking for specific samples and there is a variant called
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ public class SelectVariants extends RodWalker<Integer, Integer> {
      * track and they have the sample genotype call.
      */
     @Input(fullName="concordance", shortName = "conc", doc="Output variants that were also called in this Feature comparison track", required=false)
-    private RodBinding<VariantContext> concordanceTrack = RodBinding.makeUnbound(VariantContext.class);
+    private RodBinding<VariantContext> concordanceTrack;
 
     @Output(doc="File to which variants should be written",required=true)
     protected VCFWriter vcfWriter = null;