 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: cujo
Date: 2003-10-24 06:49
Has anyone played, installed, or have any thoughts on these pads.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-10-24 07:53
No.
No.
Yes.....
I have met them fairly recently-installed on a flute, and was surprised at the plethora of leaks. So much for the licence needed to instal them!
They seem, for the flute pads at least, to have a tendency for the membrane to fail where it passes over a particularly severe bend at the edge of the pad.
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Author: icecoke12
Date: 2003-10-24 10:46
http://www.miyazawa.com/articles/other10.htm
I read about the pads here.. but its on a flute manufacturer website.
Do they have pads for clarinets too?
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Author: icecoke12
Date: 2003-10-24 15:22
While looking at the selection of clarinet pads available, I also came across Eddie Ashton's pads.
http://www.woodwindco.com/index.html
Wonder if they are as good as they describe it on the website...
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Author: aaron_diestel
Date: 2003-10-24 16:17
I have the Straubinger pads on my clarinet, and have had them for some years now.
They don't have the same leaking problems as on the flute, the flute pads are made a little differently.
You can read about the pads construction on Mr. Straubinger's website so I won't go into detail.
I don't have them on my entire horn, that would be a little TOO expensive. I have them on the bottom big 4 tone holes. (E, F, F#, Eb)
For me I prefer them because of the solid feel they give when the keys are depressed. Some pads have a spongy feel, while these are a solid base under the fingers.
I'm not terribly attached to them and would be willing to try other pads. BUt for now they work. They are a well made pad and I have had little problem with them. I have only had one pad skin rip(lukily it was only the outer skin and not the second layer) but that pad is about 6 years old.
All in all the clarinet pads are much better than the pads for flute, but for the price and inconvience of finding someone who is certified to install them, other options might be beter for you.
But check out the website and se for yourself.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-10-24 16:24
My curiosity is piqued. How, and what kind of certification is required to install a Straubinger pad? Who does the certifying and where? I'm guessing that it's a different process than 'regular' flute or clarinet pads. What's special about them?
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: cujo
Date: 2003-10-25 05:32
These pads are made with extremly tight tolerances. The tone holes must be perfect for a correct seat. Most spongy pads will fill the imperfections in the tone holes. These pads are designed to seat the pads at the slightest touch making it very easy to play with great sound.
These pads seat tighter than the vital engine parts in your car. That is the reason why only certified installers are allowed to work on them. Any repairs person who is an excellent pad installer will probably fail to seat these pads without proper training.
...maybe someday I could afford these and a decent clarinet...
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-10-25 18:21
If I had a set of Straubinger pads on my clarinet, all seated perfectly to within a gnat's eyebrow... I'd be afraid to touch it!
I don't think this is a new concept and the pervious ones by different makers, 'fad pads', didn't become all that popular either.
- ron b -
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2003-10-25 20:18
cujo said:
***These pads seat tighter than the vital engine parts in your car. That is the reason why only certified installers are allowed to work on them. Any repairs person who is an excellent pad installer will probably fail to seat these pads without proper training.***
I don't know where these silly comments are coming from but I can tell you that any competent clarinet technician would have no problems installing Straubinger pads.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-10-25 20:39
If I had these on my Clarinet... with my luck, while performing some evening, a pad would fall out and I would have to rush right out for a certification course before repairing the instrument and completing the selection.
What a way to lose an audience, eh?
And ron b wrote: "...'fad pads' didn't become all that popular either." Well, once upon a time long ago, fishskin pads were "fad pads," I'm still old-fashioned enough to prefer leather.
But hey, neoprene O-rings might make great pads... let's see, maybe there's a lot of money to be made... hmmmm....
Regards,
John
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-10-25 20:43
In my estimation, from what's been said so far, P.T. Barnum could install 'em before breakfast and charge you a fancy price without even blinking.
- ron b -
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Author: Graham Golden
Date: 2003-10-25 21:04
Hello All,
I normally do not post here, but as i have extensive experience with the Straubinger clarinet pad, i thought i could provide some useful information.
First off, the clarinet pads DO NOT need to be installed by a Straubinger certified installer. They install very similarly to standard skin pads, although David Straubinger does recommend using a mixture of both shellac and hot melt. The flute pads, however, do require a certification you can get from the Straubinger workshop in Indianapolis at a clinic that David has every year. Any competent (and most not so competent) repair technician can install Straubinger pads.... But at $6.00+ (not including shipping, or labor) a pad, I would be choosy about who I have install them!
The pads are mounted on a CNC turned disk/shell (or as Straubinger calls it the “Pad Support Unit). The shell is filled with an artificial felt that does not change shape due to temperature or humidity. Stretched across the top of the shell are the 2 layers of yellow skin, similar to a drum head. They do have a paper backing, so, like I said earlier, they can be installed using standard technique. The clarinet pads have shoulders, like those of standard pads, and the piccolo (not the flute pads, they are ENTIRELY different animals) and oboe pads do not. You can use the pic pads in some areas of the clarinet, and the shouldered pads in others to get desired voicing results (according to David Straubinger—it has worked for me, although it is not a HUGE difference). The skin is quite durable. I have had them on one of my clarinets for 2 years now, and they are still doing just fine. The flute pads are VERY delicate, but the clarinet pads are not. They are much more popular on lower joints, and work well with cork upper joints, at least from what I see on clarinets, and hear from my fellow Straubinger users! They do work great on upper joints as well.
The pads are very firm, so there is no "Squish" when you play. They are also convex, to mimic the shape of human fingers, so aid in articulation, and evenness of sound (or so the theory goes…IT does make a large difference, but with so many variables it is impossible to say that the noticed changes are BECAUSE of the shape, or possibly the felt, or the shell, or any combination). Some say they brighten up the sound, but most tend to notice some change in response and articulation, and others no change at all.
The tone hole edges do need to be perfect for installation, and sometimes require filing, diamond grinding, and very fine sanding and finishing.
Hope that i provided some level of useful information about the Straubinger pads. Straubinger is a very friendly company, and would be more than happy to dispel myths about their pads if you had serious questions, i am sure. David Straubinger is truly a delightful fellow!
They are truly odd pads, but are most definitely worth looking into if you have the money, and are adventurous.
According to the Straubinger brochures Jim Campell, Eli Eban, Clark Fobes, Fred Jocobowitz and Howard Klug all use them… David said that Eddie Daniels does as well, and that Louis Rossi is going to begin to install them on his clarinets, but of course I cannot validate any of that. I am sure that Straubinger would be more than happy to send a brochure out to any potential customer. I probably have some left around here as well, if anyone has the need to see the exact “Straubinger description”
Take care!
Graham G.
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Author: cujo
Date: 2003-10-25 22:52
I thought the clarinet pads were similar to the flutes. I guess not. I was thinking about my smallest feeler gauge for car engines does not get small enough to correctly check the pads, but I guess thats only for flutes. Well thanks for clearing things up.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-10-27 10:23
To me it is just another lot of 95% marketing hype for the gullible. Good quality, cheap, WELL-INSTALLED pads, on a WELL-ADJUSTED instrument work just fine.
I fail to see why they need to be Straubinger to be very successful.
Many buyers seem to fail to appreciate basic human gullibility towards a hyped-up product. They will believe what they are told to believe after they have paid enough bucks to be told what to believe.
And I find it insulting of a good technician's adjustment prowess and versatility to insist on a training course. That is just part of the above-mentioned hype.
BTW you don't need a license to install "Star LP" pads. See on the left at
http://www.musiccenterspa.com/Produzione/frame_cuscinetti_ing.htm
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Author: cujo
Date: 2003-10-27 14:22
After the training course techs have 3 days to seat the pads right for the test. Its suprising how many cant. Of course this is just for flutes.
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