I bought Dogal’s Diamante Extra Soft Tension because I wanted to try to buy strings that are not sold in Japan using an overseas string shopping site. I bought Dogal Diamante Extra Soft Tension, which is probably the lowest tension classical guitar string.
The following article summarizes the string reviews/impressions/information articles in this blog
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Unique strings made of nylon with carbon
I’ve reviewed the Dogal Diamante before, and it uses nylon with carbon added to the treble strings.
Nylon strings have a soft sound and carbon strings have a sharp sound, but carbon blended nylon strings have a sound somewhere in between.
The bass strings are also made of Kevlar, and they are unique in many ways.
Extra soft = the lowest tension
The tension I bought this time is called Extra Soft, which is the lowest tension.
Extra Soft Tension not available in Japan
Diamante comes in five different tensions. From the lowest to the highest, they are Extra Soft, Soft, Regular, Strong and Extra Strong.
Diamante is sold in Japan, but Extra Soft and Extra Strong are not sold. Is it that the tension is too extreme and the demand is small? I have no choice but to buy them from Strings by Mail by the following procedure.
How low is the tension?
How low is the tension of Extra Soft strings compared to other strings? Let’s compare it with Pro Arte light tension and Hannabach super low tension which are also said to have low tension.
| Dogal Diamond Extra Soft | Pro-Arte Light | Hannabach Super Low | |
| 1st | 6.4kg | 7.1kg | 7.0kg |
| 2nd | 4.6kg | 5.3kg | 6.0kg |
| 3rd | 4.6kg | 5.2kg | 6.5kg |
| 4th | 6.3kg | 6.4kg | 6.5kg |
| 5th | 6.0kg | 6.3kg | 6.7kg |
| 6th | 6.0kg | 5.9kg | 6.5kg |
As you can see, it has the lowest tension in the specs. Especially, the tension of treble strings is overwhelmingly low. However, the tension on the specs is not uniformly measured by each company, so you can’t just rely on it.
Valuable low tension carbon strings.
As I mentioned earlier, the treble strings on the Diamante are nylon with added carbon.
Carbon strings in low tension is not available in general. I think most of the lineup has more than normal tension. Carbon strings are thin, so if the tension is too low, the string will be too thin and have strength problems, I guess.
not too fine string
This is the comparison of the appearance of the first string of Diamante’s Extra Soft (left) and the normal of Savarez Alliance (right). The tension is totally different, but it seems that nylon with carbon is thicker than pure carbon. That may be the reason why the tension can be lower.
It has a core in softness and easy to change the sound
I still feel low tension when I play it. It’s easy to press down and slur. However, the sound is not so boring and has a solid core.
Also, there is no difficulty in changing the sound, which is a problem with carbon strings. You can use them with a feeling similar to nylon strings.
It’s hard to make a strong sound at the right moment
It’s not all good, of course.
When you want to make a strong sound in the high position, the weak tension may cause the sound to be lost.
Low tension on bass strings is easier on the fingers
The bass strings are of course less tensioned.
Maybe because of this, the strings already feel quite soft before I put them on.
The thickness doesn’t change much, and it’s not uncomfortable.
In the picture above, the top one is a Savarez Cantiga Premium high 6 string and the bottom one is a Diamante Extra Soft 6 string. As for the diameter, there is surprisingly no difference.
If the diameter changes, it may seem difficult to play because the feeling of pressing down changes, but this is not the case.
Easy to hold, easy to use, tendonitis friendly
However, the ease with which you hold it down is totally different.
With a high tension string, you feel the resistance of the string when you press it down, but this string has much less resistance. Because of this, you will feel less fatigue when you play a piece.
I used to have tendonitis and I’m very careful with my left fingers, but these strings are great for less stress on my fingers.
It’s a gentle sound, but it’s also responsive
The sound of the bass strings is rather quiet and gentle.
However, the sound is not blurry, but firmly underpins the song, and there is also a sense of response due to the metallic sound.
Combined with the ease of holding it down, I feel like I can play with stability.
This low tension string is valuable and worth a try
There is no other string with such a low tension, so you can play it with a feeling you have never had before.
Regardless of whether you like low tension or not, I feel like it’s worth a try. I think it will give you a chance to think about what kind of strings you like for yourself.
It is regrettable that this product is not sold in Japan. It would be nice if it could be bought more easily.
