INTERVIEW WITH DAVID STRAUBINGER
By Sergio Jerez-Gomez

David Straubinger

David Straubinger is a unique flute maker who combines craftsmanship and science, producing quality enhancements for many woodwind instruments. For years now, flutists are familiar with his innovation of Straubinger Pads, used by many companies and technicians. Recently, David Straubinger has made new acoustical innovations with exciting results. This interview will familiarize readers with some of David’s background  and approach to his work.

We would like to thank Sergio Jerez-Gomez & David Straubinger for their permission and generosity to make this interview available for our readers.
-Editor, American Flute Guild

For more information about David Straubinger and his flutes and other products please visit: www.straubingerflutes.com

How would you summarize your life? 

If I had to summarize my life, it would be that I have tried to keep my mind open to all possibilities, while searching for ultimate solutions to help musicians achieve total freedom in their musical expression.  Performers should never be bound by the limitations of their instrument, but rather, be free to express his or her individual personality.   My life has been one of continual refining and improving on ways to make that happen.   I will always have an unquenchable desire to improve on my personal best.

What steps led you to this life goal?  Could you tell us about your first contact with the music and repair world?

My parents were both musicians and teachers, so we were introduced to music at an early age. We all started on piano when we were 5.  At 12, I began playing flute.  One could say my initial exposure to repair was when Mom brought home my first flute, because I immediately felt compelled to take it apart to see what made it work.  I was able to get it back together and fortunately, it worked fine.

In high school, I switched to oboe and continued my music studies in college at the Jordan Conservatory and later, on full scholarship to Juilliard.  Ultimately, I accepted a job, playing oboe in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.  In time, I needed more work, so took on an additional job repairing instruments for the Indianapolis Public Schools.  While there, I worked with the senior repairman, further honing my basic repair skills.  I found that I really enjoyed repair work, so in 1970, I opened a small repair shop in the basement of my home.  

Why did you start to make pads?

In my repair business, I repaired all of the woodwinds, but flute seemed to be the most problematic.  In studying the reason for the problems, I developed new techniques and new procedures for repair.  Those procedures and techniques all were helpful and improved the performance of the flute, but I was not happy with the stability of my repairs.  Fine adjustments were lost in a short period of time.  However, on the whole, I had made some progress with new techniques.  I decided that the felt pad was not designed to hold fine adjustments required by flutists of today.  After five years of trying to better understand the felt pad, I developed a concept that I believed would be a significant improvement.      

About this same time, a large band store moved into town and I was sure that I would lose my customers to the new competition.  However, I believed in my new concept, and that the pad I had designed would give me an advantage as well as stabilize my business.  The idea worked just fine and I am still here 37 years later.     

 Did you make many prototypes?

I made many prototypes and had many failures but I eventually came up with the materials and designs that we use today.   The pad has evolved and improved and we are still making new designs and improvements.  Currently, I have five patents for pads and have more coming.  Stay tuned!!!!

To develop the first pads, how long did you take?  

In 1975 I had an idea for an improved pad.  I made one and installed it in a flute.  However, it was a total failure and I removed it before the player ever saw his flute.  I did no more work on my pad concept for five years, but continued to observe how felt pads worked and how they failed.  One day a new idea came to me and I made some prototypes for which I was convinced the basic concepts were very good. With refinements, I believed these concepts could be even better, so I pursued a patent, which was subsequently issued.  

I used the pad in secret on my flute for almost a year.  The second year I started selling the idea to my customers.  After I was convinced of the validity of what I was doing, I approached Bickford Brannen.  He was very interested in this new idea and wanted exclusivity of the pad for 3 years.  It was also at this time that I started to make flutes.  As part of our reciprocal agreement, Bickford taught me how to make flutes.  In return, I gave Brannen Flutes a 3-year exclusivity of the Straubinger Pad.  A total of 5 years went by before I began to sell the pads to outside repairmen.  I wanted to be sure that the pad would remain stable over a long period of time and perform as well as I had anticipated.  During this time, I made many changes and tried many ideas.  For all those years, Bickford and I only had a “hand shake” agreement, something I have never regretted.

Another reason I waited so long to sell the pad for repair was not readily apparent to me.  I finally realized that I had created not only a pad, but also, a process.  The pad would not work without the process.  I was starting to realize that the only solution was to conduct formal training to teach repairmen the physics of the pad and what was necessary to make it work properly.      

Actually, your pads could be called the best pad for stability and long life. How long can it be expected to have good use?

Thank you!  Of course the longevity depends on how the pads are treated and the flutists.  If a player uses a great deal of pressure while playing, the life of the pad will be shortened significantly.  If the player uses a light pressure, the flute can remain stable with only minimal pad replacements for as long as 10 years, or longer, and they will hold a more finite adjustment.  We do suggest for professionals that their flutes be cleaned, oiled, and adjusted (COA) once a year.  Players will find that after one year the flute is still playing well, but with a COA, it will play even better.  When heavy-usage players are on a yearly COA schedule, we may replace as many as three pads, which we consider fairly normal and represents a minimal down time to the flutist.

And the pad components, from what are they made?

There are two machined parts to the Straubinger Pad.  These parts are made from a plastic called Delrin. The Delrin is machined on a high precision computer-operated lathe.  The two machined parts are:  1) a stabilizer, which is used to give the pad a very flat surface on which to rest and 2) the pad back, which provides a foundation to give shape to the felt and skin.  The skin (goldbeater), which is from cows, covers the felt and the pad back and is glued on the under side of the pad back.

What do you think about the cost of a set of pads?  Do you consider the pads expensive, excessively high cost?  Cheap?  Can you discuss this?

When I first started selling the pad for $6.00 per pad I was told that they were too expensive.  I understood the comment, because at that time, felt pads of the highest quality were selling for $1.50. 

I noticed new handmade flutes of the highest quality, installed with felt pads, were being returned to the factory for adjustments every two months, or so.  I saw flutes go back as many as 6 times a year. Each time, this meant the player was without his or her flute for at least three days, plus the additional cost for shipping and repair. Different climates, altitudes, and weather changes affect flute adjustments.  The stability of the Straubinger Pad greatly reduces the effects of these factors.  In summary, just by reducing shipping and repair expenses even once or twice, the cost of the pads will be justified.

A major flute manufacturer using the Straubinger Pad has reported to me that they have reduced return rates on new flutes by 90%.   It is true that the pads must be installed very precisely and the flute must be set up properly for the Straubinger Pad to work correctly.  Once the flute has been set up for Straubinger Pads, however, the process does not have to be repeated for the life of the flute. 

Your flute pads are required to be installed by a Straubinger Certified Repair Technician.  What are the requirements to be Straubinger Certified?

To be certified, one should be an experienced repairman who has exceptional talent in flute repair and is detail oriented.  In addition, I require technicians to complete a Workshop where they are trained in the specifics of installing Straubinger Pads.  On completion, they must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the concepts and procedures, which are unique to the Straubinger Pad.

In flutes ORIGINALLY INSTALLED at the factory with Straubinger Pads, is it best to go to a Certified Straubinger Technician? 

Yes!  It is best to have your flute adjusted by a certified repairman but any qualified repairman who is familiar with handmade flutes should be able to do adjustments. HOWEVER, only a Straubinger Certified Technician may install Straubinger Pads in a flute NOT originally installed with Straubinger Pads.  It is our policy to sell our pads to Certified Straubinger Technicians, only, for first-time installation of Straubinger Pads.    

What about your clarinet pads? Tell us how these are different and how are they similar?

I use the same concepts with the clarinet pad as I do with the flute pad, but I made some important changes.  Because the tone holes are wooden and therefore, have a different shape, the felt is wrapped over the outer rim of the pad back.  Similar to the felt pad, it is glued into the cup.  The concept is that the pad should be hard at the outer rim and also, at the center.  Most importantly, it must be soft at the pad/tone hole interface.

What about your piccolo pads?

In conclusion, when are you going to make pads for saxophone and oboe?

At this time, I have no plans to make a pad for oboe.   Actually the cork pad works quite well on oboe.  Saxophone pads can be problematic, however, and I do have designs in progress for a Straubinger Saxophone Pad. The pad will be far more stable than leather pads traditionally used on Saxophones. I plan to use the same design concepts as the piccolo pad, but will cover the pad with leather.  As with all other Straubinger Pads, the pad back will give shape and stability to the leather and felt. 

What about your family?  Does your son plan to continue making Straubinger Flutes with you?

Joel has worked with me since he was a young boy and we are proud of the achievements we have made with this teamwork.  The Straubinger Flute has become a serious contender in the flute market and we are constantly making improvements in our design to assure unsurpassed quality. 

We are moving forward with the recent introduction of a new head joint.  This new head joint has been many years in development.  The response has been overwhelming and gratifying.  The Spectrum Head Joint, named this because of the frequent comments we received that it had a “full spectrum of colors”, has a very fast response with good resistance while allowing the player to maintain clear articulation.  It is very even throughout all the registers.  It has exceptional flexibility of dynamic range, a beautiful sound and intonation is very stable in strong attacks, crescendos and diminuendos. 

Not only has the renowned flutist Thomas Robertello chosen to play Straubinger Flutes and Head Joints exclusively, our head joints are being played by a number of flutists in leading orchestras throughout the world.  It is indeed, an exciting time for Straubinger Flutes.