A. Laubin, Inc. is an American maker of oboes and English horns, formerly located in Peekskill, New York. The first Laubin oboe was made in 1931 by Alfred Laubin, a performing musician who was dissatisfied with the quality of instruments available at the time. The creation of oboes began as a home project, but soon Mr. Laubin was able to make oboes which met the demands of his own playing career. These instruments impressed his professional oboist friends, many of whom began playing Laubin's oboes during this time. Eventually, oboe-making developed into a full-time occupation, beginning in the mid-1950s. In 1956, Alfred's eldest son Paul Laubin joined the business, doing repair work and eventually learning every aspect of oboe-making before taking over the business when Alfred died in 1976.
Paul Laubin (b. Dec. 14, 1932; d. March 1, 2021) died March 1, 2021. His son Alexander who was born about 1976 or 1977 (age –), continues in the business. Longtime employee, repairman, and instrument finisher David Teitelbaum, moved to Rhode Island where he has set up his own shop repairing oboes and English horns. While other oboe manufacturers have moved to a largely automated process, using computerized milling machines and standardized parts, Laubin was known to have made everything essentially by hand, using belt-driven lathes, drills, and hand tools. As these machines aged, they became harder and harder to use.
In August 2022, J.James Phelan (b.1951), purchased the Laubin Company out of bankruptcy. Mr. Phelan is former co-owner of Burkart-Phelan, Inc., handmade flute makers in Shirley, Massachusetts. Besides having 40 years of experience building handmade flutes, Mr. Phelan holds degrees in French horn performance (NEC), mechanical engineering (Northeastern University), and Masters in Business Analytics (Kaplan University).
In spite of their relative scarcity, Laubin oboes are played by a significant number of highly regarded oboists, including some in the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
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