History lesson: Who is Martin Wilk

[gregsundt]

I assume the MAW valves carry his monogram, and the one tuba I've seen with his name on it looks very impressive and prices with the best. So, pardon my absence from the mainstream for 15 years, but who is this guy?

[bisontuba]

http://www.mawvalve.com/index.htm" target="_blank
Mark

[gregsundt]

http://www.mawvalve.com/index.htm" target="_blank
Mark

Thank you.

[gregsundt]

More helpful info. So, when he builds a tuba, is it a "rehab" of a classic, or a handbuilt assemblage of new M-W and other parts?

[Dan Schultz]

Martin is a good friend of mine and lives only about an hour away. I don't see him as often as I like but we correspond via phone or email frequently. He is an encyclopedia of information about how brass is designed, built, and repaired and has worked along side may of the 'greats' in the industry.

My hat is off to guys like this who maintain a fairly low profile and know what they are talking about!

[bort]

Age?

What a mystery. I thought he was just some dude who had an idea for better valves, not all of this. (And again, what % of that 6/4 is a MW horn? Or is it more of a shop horn like the Dillon 6/4?)

[roweenie]

In 2007 he built for me, I (and others) consider to be the BEST 6/4 BB flat York conversion on the planet.

[tofu]

In 2007 he built for me, I (and others) consider to be the BEST 6/4 BB flat York conversion on the planet.

Beautiful horn - is that a York bell?

[Paul Scott]

Martin is a great person who has an insatiable curiosity about everything in general. This curiosity coupled with great creativity (thinking "outside of the box") and skill has resulted in the MAW valve. Martin also has a great eye for the aesthetics of an instrument. His repairs/mods are not only supremely functional and correct but always look great. As far as shop setups go, his is perhaps the best equipped that I've ever seen.

He is a humble, modest and honest man and I'm proud to call him a friend.

[Timswisstuba]

Martin is someone who works hard and can find a solution to any challenging mechanical problem. He has the precision of the Swiss , the technical know-how of the Germans and the innovation of the Americans all in one. He doesn't spend a lot of time telling people what he does because he prefers 'doing' rather than 'saying'. As a result, his work is top notch and is second to none.

[weops]

I echo Timswisstuba's comments on Martin Wilk's talents and abilities

I have MAW valves in two of my York Tubas. He currently has one of my York Monster
BBb's and is addressing some design issues regarding intonation. He also made a leadpipe and bits for my WWII era King 4 valve Sousaphone - the improvement was dramatic.

I drove out to Indiana from the NYC area and spent a day with Martin discussing and tweaking my horns. That was a long drive - but well worth it!

[TubaNerd88]

I'll chime in here as well.

I recently took both of my horns down to Martin to have them chem cleaned and the valves quieted down. I basically gave him free reign to fix anything if it needed to be addressed, and sure enough, he found that the main tuning slide on my CC that's connected via bracing was ever-so-slightly shifted out of alignment. When I went to pick up the instrument the next day, it played even better than when I first got the horn. Notes slotted easier and certain notes that weren't as resonant suddenly came to life. When I also picked up my F tuba, it played better than ever as well. (That one probably just needed a cleaning and the valves quieted anyway).

Martin is a really down-to-earth person and very easy to have a conversation with. He also showed me a few things he was working on as well. I cannot recommend him enough if you're anywhere near the Louisville area.

[TubaZac2012]

In 2007 he built for me, I (and others) consider to be the BEST 6/4 BB flat York conversion on the planet.

I'm in love.

[TubaZac2012]

Now that I'm done drooling..

What a super nice guy! I haven't gotten a chance to meet him or do business with him yet, but my goodness is he nice. I've had a couple phone conversations in the past week with him about BATs and I think he's gotten me sold on an idea for what my BAT is going to be. Just an all around great guy, super easy to talk to, all that jazz. I wish i lived closer so I could just meet him easier. Looking forward to working with him.