This post is also available in:
日本語 (Japanese)
This is the third review of the Dogal Diamante. This time it’s the soft tension. This is the lowest tension diamante sold in Japan, but is it quite different from the Extra Soft?
The following article summarizes the string reviews/impressions/information articles in this blog
https://cooksealphoto.com/en/70-different-guitar-string-ratings-opinions-and-real-life-reviews-how-to-choose-how-to-change-strings-trivia-and-more/
- The second low tension set in Diamante.
- As always, I’m glad to see the attention of Dogal
- Low enough tension, but not as impactful as Extra Soft
- The treble strings are gentle and easy to change in tone
- The bass strings are gentle, but when you play hard, they come out strong
- A bit expensive, but recommended
The second low tension set in Diamante.
Diamante Soft Tension is the second lowest tension set in the Diamante series.
The one with the higher tension, there are these five lineups:
- Extra strong
- Strong
- Regular
- Soft
- Extra soft
Unfortunately, Extra Strong and Extra Soft are not sold in Japan.
Diamante’s features are as following:
- Treble strings: nylon with carbon
- Bass strings: mixed Kevlar fibers
I have the impression that they are actively incorporating new materials.
The ones I’ve used are extra soft and regular:
I tried to compare the tension of each of them to see how different they are.
| Extra Soft | Soft | Regular | Strong | Extra Strong | |
| 1st | 6.4kg | 6.6kg | 7kg | 7.3kg | 7.3kg |
| 2nd | 4.6kg | 4.8kg | 5kg | 5.2kg | 5.2kg |
| 3rd | 4.6kg | 4.8kg | 4.9kg | 5.1kg | 5.1kg |
| 4th | 6.3kg | 6.5kg | 6.8kg | 7kg | 7.2kg |
| 5th | 6kg | 6.2kg | 6.5kg | 6.7kg | 6.9kg |
| 6th | 6kg | 6.2kg | 6.5kg | 6.7kg | 6.9kg |
| Total | 33.9kg | 35.1kg | 36.7kg | 38kg | 38.6kg |
The Pro Arte light is a total of 36.2kg and the Hannabach super low is 39.2kg, so the Diamante regular is equal to the Pro Arte light and even the extra strong is lower than the Hannabach super low. The Extra Soft’s 33.9kg is quite an impressive value, but even the Soft is in the very low tension category.
These figures are given by the string manufacturers, so it may not be appropriate to compare them with each other. However, I think it’s not so wrong as I felt when I put them on.
As always, I’m glad to see the attention of Dogal
When you open the package, you will see that the bass strings are packed in an airtight bag, which is a nice touch:
Because the Savarez cantiga is not protected by anything in particular. Well, I guess they are confident that it won’t be rusted by oxygen in the air..
I felt that the 3rd string was thicker than the previous one because the previous one was normal tension of Creation Cantiga Premium. Creation Cantiga’s 3 strings are fluorocarbon and quite thin, while Diamante’s are nylon mixed with carbon, so I guess this difference comes out.
Since this is so thick, does it have a high percentage of nylon as a material?
Low enough tension, but not as impactful as Extra Soft
The tension is low in my impression when I play it. It makes me feel that I can play the difficult part unexpectedly. And it’s easy to play for both right and left hands.
However, there is nothing like the shockingly low tension of the Extra Soft. It changed the way I felt about holding the strings.
In comparison, it’s like a normal string with less tension.
Also, as with other Dimanthe strings,the pitches settle quickly. With other strings, the treble keeps dropping sluggishly for a few days, but with this string, it settles down rather quickly. I have the impression that it stabilizes faster than the bass strings.
The treble strings are gentle and easy to change in tone
I got the impression that the treble strings, which are nylon strings mixed with carbon, are gentle and soft sounding strings.
It has a milder sound than the New Crystal, not to mention the carbon string Savarez Alliance. Nevertheless, they can also produce a clearer sound than nylon strings.
On the other hand, it is easier to change the tone than Savarez.
Thanks to the low tension, the sound in the high position comes out well.
The bass strings are gentle, but when you play hard, they come out strong
The bass strings were also still very gentle.
The fourth string has a rather speedy sound, but the sound becomes softer as you move to the fifth and sixth strings.
It’s not as if it doesn’t sound powerful at all, but it gives the impression that the sound changes sensitively when the ratio of meat to nail is changed.
A bit expensive, but recommended
Diamante is a bit expensive string that costs over ,2000 yen in Japan.
For this reason I can’t recommend them casually, but I personally think they are good strings. As far as I have tried the Diamante series in the past, the life span is not bad. There are no fatal flaws.
It’s a shame you can’t get the Extra Soft/Strong in Japan, but I think the tension is low enough for the Soft.
Whether or not I’ll try the Strong and Extra Strong at this rate…I’m undecided at this point. I feel like the Diamante is worth it at a lower tension, but there’s no lack of interest…
