David Straubinger to Speak at NAPBIRT Convention
- February 27, 2012
By invitation, David is speaking at the NAPBIRT National Convention on April 16-17, 2012 in Normal, IL. Below is an excerpt from the program ad and attendee booklets.


FLUTES - PADS AND PRECISION
David Straubinger

What are Straubinger pads? How are they different from traditional felt pads? How are they similar? Why do Straubinger pads require special training and certification for technicians?

Learn the answers to these questions and much more as woodwind pioneer, David Straubinger, explores the basic challenges encountered in flute repair and presents an overview of the pads and repair techniques he has developed to address these challenges. It promises to be a fascinating discussion of how the Straubinger pad came to be and why precision is the key and an absolute requirement to successful installation. The results achieved with Straubinger pads are phenomenal and the possibilities for the player are limitless, but if the flute is not properly prepared, it will never produce optimum results.

So, as a repair technician, WHY is this important to you? Regardless of the level of flutes you work on, the standard expected by flute clients has been raised by the influence of the Straubinger pad. As a result, any 21st century woodwind technician should have, at the very least, a general but accurate understanding of what these pads are all about. Moving past the basics lifts the repairman into a whole new realm of discovery, where he or she is able to interpret the player?s desire for color and tonal richness and make it happen with their flute. Come and join David for an opportunity to see what can happen and how it happens for those who want to go the extra mile.

David Straubinger received his musical training at Julliard School of Music and Jordan School of Music. He played for six years with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. In 1969, he started a business rebuilding and repairing woodwind instruments for professional musicians and their students. The problems encountered in rebuilding and repairing flutes led him to develop a new concept in pad design. After four years of extensive research, David was awarded a patent for that concept and design. This pad design and the precision repair techniques developed with it would ultimately revolutionize the flute industry worldwide. The Straubinger Pad has become an icon that has raised the bar of expectations and possibilities for all flutists and wind players

Two Important Firsts
- February 26, 2012
We are proud to announce that Straubinger Flutes now has two newly certified Pad Technicians, each a FIRST in their respective countries to represent Straubinger Flutes both in repair and sales. NICKOLAS PLOTNIKOV is in Perm, Russia, and EDUARDO CAICEDO is in Bogotá, Colombia. We are extremely proud of them, as we are ALL of our Certified Technicians. Their stories underscore the commitment and sacrifice it takes to come to America. First, they have to learn the language and then, raise the necessary funds to make their trip possible. Like all repairmen, they must establish a repair shop, complete with tools and equipment, not easily obtainable in their native countries.