Products and Features
through
Patented Technology
(page 2)

Drelinger's Patented Optikut

Benefit: Provides the smoothest flow of air by eliminating solder joint within the blow hole.
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Karritium^® Precious Metal

Benefit: A precious metal formulation for your headjoint, developed by Drelinger, based on acoustical merit.
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Drelinger's No-Stretch Fit^TM

Cross-section of headjoint fitted with Perfect-Match^®.  
Benefit: Stretching has been eliminated so that headjoint tenon wall and bore -A- and flute body wall and bore -B- are the same.  And there is no need to give us your flute to get the right fit.
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What Is No-Slip-Lip^®? Most flutists are familiar with that insecure, skidding feeling of having trapped sweat on their embouchure plate. An effective solution is to have the embouchure plate engraved, but that's too costly and burden-some to be accessible to everyone.

Now all that has changed with the introduction of Drelinger Optikut® headjoints. Now every headjoint we make includes an engraved embouchure plate at no extra cost. Available in a variety of designs, it is a special engraving, created to provide security without your being aware its there. It's also beautiful, so it looks as wonderful as it functions. We also offer the gold-lip option which is a hypo-allergenic grade gold placed in the contact area of the embouchure plate. Back to Product - Top of page.

I saw the diagram of Quiet-Crownand would like to know whats special about It?

A - Bell shaped all precious metal crown is supplied in weights of 3 to 15 grams in order for us to make subtle changes in timbre and/or resistance.
B - The point at which the threads sandwich a layer of DuPonts Teflon® to eliminate loosening from vibrations.
C - The point where the stainless retainer ring is sealed by a latex adhesive to eliminate air leaks and extraneous vibrations.
D - Latex sealant is extended well into cork to secure alignment.
E - Cork is treated to retard the shrinkage of age and to inhibit water retention.
F - Cork is precisely placed and cemented concentric with reflector disc.
G - Reflector disc of sterling, gold*, or platinum*. Back to Product- Top of page.

How do the patented Gold-Air-Reed^®* and Platinum-Air-Reed^® * features enhance the Optikut^® design? The quick response of Modern Style headjoints is of great benefit. This virtue originates from its sharp, steeply angled blow edge. This almost knifelike edge is critical, as it must work optimally without introducing buzzing in the sound. This buzzing, unlike wind noise, is hypothesized to originate from minute blow edge resonances. Drelinger researched this hypothesis by replacing the blow edge section of several silver and gold lip plates with super hard exotic gold and platinum alloys. With these new alloys, virtual feather edges were created without the criticality associated with traditional metals. The innovation that evolved from Drelingers research is named the Gold-Air-Reed® and the Platinum-Air-Reed® (U.S. pat. 5105705). They provide the quickest, cleanest response ever and are available exclusively with all Drelinger Optikut® headjoints. Its precise dimensions and exotic alloy are critical to its performance. As an example of this criticality, the patented Platinum-Air-Reed shown here was engineered to occupy a precisely defined area of the blow edge and riser. If we were to make the platinum material of the air reed any larger, extending into a greater portion of the riser, its effectiveness would be compromised. The science and art of utilizing a specific size and alloy of a precious metal for a dedicated acoustic function is far more important than obtaining the most platinum or gold bullion in a given headjoint. For example, in most applications a 14K gold crown weighing 7 to 8 grams is more musically desirable than a 14K gold crown weighing 10 to 12 grams even though the heavier crown obviously contains a larger amount of gold. The application of this Drelinger design philosophy can be found in our super low mass crowns, Karittium® as well as numerous innovations like the Platinum-Air-Reed® and Gold-Air-Reed®. Back to Product- Top of page.

Pictured is a cross section of the Platinum-Air-Reed as part of the seamless one piece Optikut lip plate assembly. Pictured is a cross section of the Platinum-Air-Reed as part of the seamless one piece Optikut lip plate assembly. The arrow shown here reveals a magnified view of Drelinger’s MicroChannel. This MicroChannel, located one on each side of the Platinum-Air-Reed, provides an additional technological refinement to the blow edge. By intersecting the blowing surface, they help facilitate a smoother overtone pattern throughout the octaves.

How does the patentedFree-Flo^® * work to reduce extraneous wind noise? The standard lip plate, shown (a), illustrates that the mechanically redundant metal directly in front and partially along side the blow edge serves to support the exhaust wind, creating an upward fan-like pattern. Sometimes this type of air pattern results in audible wind noise. In contrast to this, the Free-Flo* design, shown (b), illustrates that the uniquely shaped barrier-free area surrounding the blow edge allows the exhaust wind to cascade in a natural downward pattern, reducing the audibility of wind noise as reported by flutists who prefer it to other designs. We have also found that those with tear drop formation of the upper lip can produce the third octave with greater clarity then with other styles. Back to Product- Top of page.

Should I consider a wingstyle headjoint, and what Is Drelinger's Modern-Wing? The wing style headjoint is preferred by a group who swear by its virtues. Among those devotees are some of the world's finest flutists. My advice is whichever style works best is best for you. I can report that the professionals who I have heard using our wing style play with all the tonal beauty associated with players using other styles. There are also remedial applications where the wing can produce almost miraculous results. For example, some players who have embouchure dysfunctions which cannot be corrected through standard teaching technique show tremendous improvement with respect to producing the low register when they switch to our wing headjoint. It seems that where the wing style works, it allows more freedom and comfort. The wing lip plate offers firm support and positioning of the lower lip and functions like the funneling of air directly toward the blow edge. The Drelinger Headjoint Co. now offers a unique wing style headjoint called the Modern-Wing that is built as a one-piece Optikut® assembly. This unique wing design incorporates overcuts and undercuts in the very same way as our other headjoint models. Back to Product- Top of page.

What are the prime advantagesof Drelinger's patented Bow-Tie^® piccolo headjoint? With Drelinger's new technology, the transition from flute to piccolo is as natural as changing octaves. From the highest to the lowest notes, your individually matched Drelinger Bow-Tie®headjoint will give an ease of response, tonal color, and articulation. And its innovative design achieves the quick response of metal with the timbre of wood. Which when used with virtually any quality conical bore body will make it play like a wonderful new piccolo. Available in many blow hole styles in grenadilla or cocus wood with titanium trim ring and fitting sleeve. To learn more about wood headjoints- Back to Product- Top of page.

What Is Drelinger's T•O•O•T•S? T•O•O•T•S functions to dramatically improve your flute's high note intonation and.controllability. It works so well it eliminates most alternate fingerings previously needed to accomplish the same task. Even exotic corrective F# mechanisms need not be considered, as T•O•O•T•S corrects this note along with others. T•O•O•T•S also gives many modern flutes a top octave pitch and timbre that not only more closely matches the lower registers, but also blends more easily with other instruments of the orchestra. T•O•O•T•S is easily installed into your headjoint in place of its crown-cork assembly. T•O•O•T•S is available in four different models to work with the many different makes of flutes and headjoints.

Please note that the T•O•O•T•S series is primarily meant for brands of headjoints other than Drelinger. The Drelinger headjoints incorporate many of the advantages of T•O•O•T•S as part of its design and do not require, in most situations, the addition of this optional feature.Back to Product - Top of page.

What is WoodHed? WoodHed is a modern wood headjoint specifically designed to be played on your metal flute. Now you can enjoy all the benefits of the sound of wood with your precious metal flute. From Baroque to Jazz, a wood headjoint produces a unique musical timbre. Developed by Drelinger Headjoint Company, Optikut® Wood Headjoints are built to the same precise specifications as our precious metal models. We invite you to try Optikut® Wood Headjoints and experience playing your flute with a new musical voice. To learn more about wood headjoints- Back to Product - Top of page.

What Is the MaxHeadjoint? The MaxHeadjoint combines our modern-wing, free-flo®, and gold-air-reed®, or platinum-air-reed® in a single headjoint design. The multiple benefits of all these patented features has made the MaxHeadjoint one of our most popular models. Back to Product- Top of page.

 

*Optional on all models.

Drelinger Products are protected by the following U.S. patents
4550637, 4800635 and 5105705
Application for foreign patents now in progress
All Drelinger material presented here has previously
appeared in print and is copyrighted.
All words marked ® or TM are protected by the applicable laws.