New 2025 Maqiano™ Microtuning System - Operating Instructions

Warning about the strong neodymium magnets

Always keep the parts properly organized inside the box when not in use. The magnetic parts can become very active if left loose on a table, suddenly flying toward and attaching to metal objects from a surprising distance. If a magnet breaks, do not try to repair it. Put on gloves, carefully throw it in the bin, and contact us for a replacement part.

When lifting, moving, or installing the Maqiano units in your piano, always remember that the magnets will try to attach themselves to any nearby metal surfaces, including the piano frame. Protect the piano by placing your fingers between the unit and the piano when installing Maqiano in areas where metal support bars or other iron parts are nearby.

When storing the small magnets in the box, hold them firmly with your fingers until they are securely fastened in their place. It can be annoying to separate them from each other later.

Another Warning

Never use any force when Maqiano is inside your piano! If something seems stuck, slowly and carefully find out how to solve that easily, never pull anything out with force. If you need to use any force when adjusting something, or change the Magnetic Tip for example, always remove the unit and do it  outside the piano. Don't use the Tool inside the piano, there's a risk that you drop it in between the strings. If this happens, you might have to remove the keyboard and the entire hammer mechanism to get it out. If you need to do it, call your piano technician for advice. It's not too difficult, but good to know certain things.

The Working Principle of Maqiano

Maqiano works similarly to a capo on a guitar. You attach it to the choir of strings between the agraffe (or pressure bar in an upright piano) and the hammer. The section of the string between the Magnetic Tip and the agraffe stops vibrating, which shortens the speaking length of the string and raises the tuning level.

The main component that performs this function is the Mass, which is attached to the choir of strings withthe Fastening Part. The Magnetic Tip becomes the new starting point of the string vibration. The Tip is secured to the strings using the L-Stick, which slides underneath the choir of strings.

Different parts of Maqiano

The heavy metal Mass does the trick, it stops the choir of strings' vibration to the Fastening Part's Magnetic Tip, which is touching the strings. The L-Stick is tightened with The Cam to hold the Tip firmly in its place. The pre-adjustment for each string thickness is done with The Screw, and this setting can be locked with The Nut.

The Magnetic Wedge helps keeping the entire Maqiano unit in position, and compensates the lateral inclination of the piano body behind the agraffes. By turning the Wedge, you can align the Maqiano vertically, as seen from behind, ensuring that the Tip touches all the strings of the choir simultaneously.

The horizontal scale is used to reproduce the exact tuning position previously determined during rehearsal, so you do not need to experiment during the concert. For example: “Eb4 / edge of the agraffe at 0.75”.

The vertical scale is used to set the height of the Fastening Part relative to the Mass. With this, you can align Maqiano straight when viewed from the side. The Fastening Part should form a 90° angle with the strings.

Take the Maqiano unit in your hand and try all the adjustments before installing it in the piano. Make sure you understand how it works, and what does each part do.

Installing on grand piano

Pre-adjustments

Usually the Mass rests on the piano body behind the agraffes, supported by the Magnetic Wedge. The Wedge should be positioned as shown in the photo above — the thicker magnet facing the Mass, and the thicker end of the Wedge pointing toward the Tip. Check also that the Magnet of the Tip sits on the front edge of its groove in the Fastening Part, meaning it should be positioned slightly further from the agraffes than the L-Stick. In most situations, it should also be set about 0.5 to 1 mm inside the groove, toward the L-Stick, as shown in the third picture below.

First, place the Maqiano unit on the strings so that the Magnetic Tip is centered above the choir of strings and the Mass is resting on the piano frame between the agraffes and the tuning pins. You won’t be able to see the Magnetic Tip directly, but you can verify the positioning by looking at the outer end of the Fastening Part: the choir of strings should be aligned roughly in the center of the rightmost two-thirds of the part — the area that includes both the flat groove and the right edge. See and zoom in the fourth photo above.

Next, press the Tip lightly against the string to hear the tuning level, and adjust it by moving it across the strings. The sound will crackle now, never mind.

Then, check the height of the Fastening Part in relation to the Mass. When adjusted correctly, the Wedge will rest firmly on the piano body without any gaps, the Tip will make proper contact with the strings, and the Fastening Part will stand straight at a 90° angle to the strings, seen from the side, as in the first photo above.

After that, turn the Wedge slightly to compensate for the lateral slope of the piano body, so that the Maqiano unit stands vertically straight also seen from behind, like in the second photo above.

Then you need to adjust the gap between the Magnetic Tip and the L-Stick with the Screw, so that when you tighten the L-Stick with the Cam, there's exactly right amount of torque. If it's too loose, you hear some crackle / buzz, and if it's too tight, you might twist the L-Stick or break The Magnetic Tip.

Watch this video to learn the perfect torque!

Now adjust the gap and test the torque using the Cam. When the setting feels correct – about the same as in the phone/book experiment above –  carefully remove the Maqiano unit from the piano while holding the Screw with your finger to prevent it from turning. This ensures the adjustment remains accurate. Finally, tighten the Nut to secure your setting.

With the unit pre-adjusted in this way, you can easily install it at the desired pitch and tuning level. With only minor adjustments to the Wedge position and the Fastening Part height, you can also set it to any other pitch with the same string thickness.

Alternatively, you can choose to adjust the Screw each time you install the Maqiano. In this case, you don’t need to tighten the Nut after every adjustment, which may be more practical if you frequently move the unit between pitches. However, it is recommended to tighten the Nut at the upper end of the Screw to prevent it from resonating during playing.

The video below shows this all: