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Worth $1200? That depends if you would really miss the money. I'd buy them from you if they don't work out for you. I already have one set in a MW 3450 for well over a year and I think it helps open the horn and smooth out the slurs. I'm not disappointed with my purchase. We just got a piston Fafner at work and I'm really interested to see how the valves work in that tuba.

In a word, yes. These valves are particularly valuable if you'd like the effect of a slight increase in bore size. I think that they're particularly effective on horns like the old Kings which are a bit small in terms of bore. I agree that they also help legato playing as has been previously mentioned. I once tried an F tuba that had them and the improvement on the horn was spectacular.

An incredible innovation in valve technology. The response and tone cannot be beat.
I have been playing with them on my Martin 4/4 Renowned BBb w/ King valves for about 2 years now.
I highly reccomend them.

Frank Ortega

If one was going to put a set into a 1241 would the valveset have to come out like with a regular valve job to fit the new pistons to the old casings? Is that part of the price or additional ? Thanks guys, Ed

I have used MAW in my Yorkbrunner for about 4 or 5 years, long before it went public, and now for a year in my Nirschl. Certain problems with the Yorkbrunner went away immediately - the low BBb, AA, and the low AAb that are sometimes so out of focus, were much improved. Pitch problems were made more even, without any pitches getting worse. For instance, top space g was less sharp. Slurring and articulation were improved. If your horn already plays open, I wouldn't get rid of my old valves, and you might need a smaller tuning slide and/or leadpipe and/or mouthpiece. The sound is clearer. The current Nirschl valves are probably made in Brazil and the ports are poorly done. Getting the Meinlschmidt replacement pistons for the Nirschl was a big improvement, not perhaps as much because of the design but because Meinlschmidt makes a much better product. My Nirschl plays better. I have played the MAW valves in some F tubas - it was an improvement. One horn was not improved, in my opinion, but a big player bought it and enjoyed more than the standard version of that horn, in other words, Big Player did think it was an improvement. A friend, John Hardisky, has MAW in his Bear and is very pleased. Dave Saltzman just got them, I'm curious what he thinks...

Tony Kniffen

I have MAW valves on my York CC (King valveset) and my Monster BBb York (Meinl Weston 2165 valveset).

The improvements in playing characteristics (for me) are these:

1. More secure "slots"

2. More centered and resonant low register

3. Smoother legato

I make my living playing the Tuba, so the valves were well worth the money.

I was out to see Martin recently and found him extremely knowledgable, as well as generous with his time.

Is there any reason why the "build-to-order" or "handmade" tuba manufacturers such as Nirschl, the Melton/MW "/2" horns or, for that matter, BMB (I believe that Dick Barth has stated that the BMBs are built to order and not back-stocked) couldn't offer the MAW valves as an upcharged option and order them directly from Martin Wilk?

Are MAW pistons offered for the older "small piston" MW valvesets, that were also seen in Gronitz and B&M of that time period?

I understand that Martin Wilk has Meinlschmidt working on production of valves to fit the older MW valve sets. Not sure when they will be available but I am looking forward to those as I have a candidate horn (2144).

Love how they play in my Baer. Definitely worth it IMO.

John DiCesare

Joel Bristor wrote:I understand that Martin Wilk has Meinlschmidt working on production of valves to fit the older MW valve sets. Not sure when they will be available but I am looking forward to those as I have a candidate horn (2144).

Were the old MW sets consistent within themselves? I thought the idea of the large valve sets (besides being larger) was to allow for one valve set to be used for all piston tubas... which to me implies that before that time, there were multiple piston valve sets. Or maybe not, who knows.

BTW, those older 2145s (and 2144s) with the small valves and small bells are REALLY nice tubas.

I only got about 5 minutes with maw's in my 6450/2 and 2250 the other day. The horns played smoother, had easier flexibility, and had simpler low registers, but in the poor acoustic room I was in, I thought the sound was less lively. Anyone experiencing less glorious resonance despite with the added glorious smoothness? It's a concern I had but was uncertain since the trial was quick and since I was on the tuba rather than listening to it from a distance.

Tony, could you please explain more about the "already open" tuba suggestions. I think of my 2250 as being open.

Thanks!

Bud, perhaps I should stay out of subjective land with 'more open.' There are players using the 2250 with MAW. I played one and thought it was noticeably improved, but I believe that Martin made a different tuning slide for the horn and added bracing, as well. It would need that, because the main ports in each valve are significantly more open with the MAW design than a typical piston valve. The middle port is more constricted, but this seems not to matter as much because of the difference in shape. The flatness of the MAW middle port is preferable over the bumps in typical ports. Again, having Meinlschmidt as the maker is a big deal, as well.
Tony Kniffen