Laubinite
Laubinite™
The Sound of Wood. The Feel of Security.
For more than a century, grenadilla wood has defined the sound of the oboe. Its density and stiffness give the instrument its unmistakable dark, focused voice, but also make it vulnerable to cracking, chipping, and dimensional change.
Laubinite™ is our answer.
Developed at A. Laubin LLC, Laubinite is an engineered composite designed to match the critical material properties of grenadilla, while eliminating its weaknesses.
What Is Laubinite?
Laubinite is a precision-engineered composite made from multiple materials with complementary physical properties. The result is a material that behaves like wood where it matters most:
Why Players Choose Laubinite
- Density Grenadilla: ~1.3 g/cm³ Laubinite: ~1.6 g/cm³
- Stiffness (Young’s Modulus) Grenadilla: ~18 GPa Laubinite: ~15 GPa
The Laubinite top joint delivers the depth of tone I’ve come to expect from a traditional wooden Laubin. It performed exceptionally well on both the provided instrument and my own oboe—to the point where I doubt I could distinguish it in a blind test. It is a fantastic option for any oboist looking to avoid cracks during outdoor performances or in cold orchestra pits. This innovation is a very welcome addition to the oboe community
Aaron Lakota
- Will never crack, chip, or change dimensions
- Dark, rich timbre indistinguishable from wood
- Feels and looks like wood in the hands
- Peace of mind for outdoor performances, travel, and challenging environments
- Laubin oboes: $4,800
- Non-Laubin oboes: Based on quote.
- $11,500
- $15,000
- $11,500