The construction on the test Deity 10 was excellent. The quilted maple top was stunning, and the sexy satin finish felt great under my fingers. The ebony fingerboard’s clean lines drew my eye toward the gorgeous top, enhancing the bass’s elegance. The Godlyke’s action was comfortably low right out of the case. Its neck was unwaveringly stable, thanks in part to two titanium-reinforced trussrods, and the innovative bridge made it easy to make all necessary adjustments. Despite the large and loaded headstock, the bass balanced well.
Make no mistake: There’s little room for “faking it” on 10-string. I really had to clean up my act when playing the Deity, since sloppy technique led to bad intonation (by inadvertently bending the doubled strings) and excessive fret noise. Once I got a little more settled, the payoff was intense. The Godlyke’s profound depth and sonic clarity were superb, and the bass responded equally well to driving rock & roll and soulful, synth-like R&B bass lines.
Tuning the Deity is an exercise in patience and diligence—it seemed to take ages. Like with most instruments of this type, in playing position the Deity’s upper-octave strings lie above the fundamentals, making it easier for picked downstrokes to consistently connect with both courses. I actually dug playing the Deity 10 with my fingers, striking the lower string first, since that seemed to maximize the 10-string’s low-end potential.
With its resonant doubled strings and gigantic sound, the Deity can be a little tricky to tame. But the bass’s wild nature is what makes it so dang cool. It sounded wicked with mild overdrive from a SansAmp Bass Driver DI, the natural chorusing effect from its doubled strings creating a lush blanket of thick, woolly bottom. The Godlyke’s 3-band, 18-volt preamp gave me all the EQ control I wanted. With a few quick knob tweaks, I could morph the Deity’s monster tone from chirpy shriek to guttural growl. Holes in the cavity cover allow access to three trim pots—output controls for each pickup, plus a notch filter with 20dB of cut at 850Hz—providing additional control over this 10-string brute.
Short of playing the opening line from Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy,” what’s an instrument like this good for? It sounded amazing in a power-trio-type setting, where the bass had plenty of room to breathe. On a soundstage in the hands of the other editors, the Deity’s colossal presence was inspiring—we couldn’t get enough of its thick and layered sound. On a rehearsal with my synth-rock band, however, I found the 10’s high-end assertiveness to be a little overwhelming amid multiple guitars and keyboards. Still, the Deity’s unconventional sound is precisely what I loved about it—because of its unusual voice and unfamiliar feel, it demanded absolute commitment to each note I played, forcing me to be a more thoughtful player.
For the bold and adventurous among us, Godlyke has created a true thing of beauty. Though its high price puts it beyond reach of many players, the Deity 10 offers otherworldly tones that no effects device can touch.
SPECS
Body: Ash
Neck: Three-piece maple
Neck joint: Set neck
Fingerboard: Ebony
Scale: 34"
Weight: 10 lbs
Pickups: SGC humbuckers
Electronics: 18-volt preamp
Controls: Volume, blend, bass (±15dB @ 90Hz), midrange (±12dB @ 350Hz), treble (±17dB @ 8KHz)
Hardware: Gotoh
Nut: Brass
Frets: 24
Finishes: Natural (maple or walnut), transparent red, transparent blue, honeyburst satin
Made in: Japan
Warranty: Lifetime limited
Direct: $3,150
Pros: Lush, truly unique tones
Cons: Expensive
Bottom line: A beautiful instrument that creates a massive sonic impression.
Contact: 866-246-5953 www.godlykebass.com