What's the word on Ocean basses?

[Liko]

GC had a few Ocean basses in stock this past Friday. Indonesian-made, don't know where the company HQ and R&D are. I played a couple of four and five-stringers, and was impressed. Neck-through with a well-sculpted heel made it very easy to play. The finish was practically bare wood; I like that feel, but many here may not. Looked good in a black stain, a little plain in full natural. Two Bart Mk1 soapbars with a 3-band EQ; I liked the sound of the pickups, but the EQ was a bit fiddly; turning up the mid made it honky very quickly, but just a smidge over flat gave me a great slap. It has an active-passive switch, which is a plus. The string spacing is a little narrow at the nut for my tastes but I prefer a wider spacing than most (The spacing between any two strings on my TRB is equivalent to a four-string Jazz; pretty wide for a five IME).

Anyone else seen these? It was tempting, but I think I'll keep my TRB for the time being.

 

[The Tyler]

I tinkered with one at GC the last time I was there. They're good feeling basses, but I'm not sure if I'd ever get one. The mids were a little squirley IMHO, but the active/passive switch was a nice touch.
I think I'd let them sit on the market a few years longer to see how they fair with other folks before buying one meself, but that's just me .

 

[MaxZolt]

I tried out an Ocean fretless 4-string in GC a few months ago, and I was very impressed. The fit and finish seemed great, and the tone and playability were excellent, which is even more impressive considering the condition of some GC basses.

I didn't end up walking out with one, as I already had another bass in the pipeline from Carvin. Had I been planning on buying a bass that day, I would have almost definitely walked away with that Ocean.

All in all, well worth the money, and a great choice for someone interested in a moderately priced fretless. If the fretted 4 and 5-string are the same, it's a great lineup of basses. Oh, and I think they look awesome too.