Fender 5er Elite or Professional?

[3alfa3]

So, im a Warwick "user", but would like to have a Fender Jazz as "the other" Bass - looking for a Jazz Bass sound from time to time (95% fingerstyle, 5% slap).

Without any History with Fender Jazz Bass, and without possibility to try it befor buying, do I go for Elite or Professional? Im looking for Fender Jazz Bass tone, Elite is more versatile because of integrated preamp, but that is not that important to me - is Professional better Choice for me? Price difference is not that big.

Choices are Elite 5er, or Professional (both Black, alder Body and Maple Neck and fretboard) and the price difference is around 100$ (2150 vs 2068 Euros).

To summarize, is Elite in passive mode "the same" as Professional?


Sorry for bad English

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Pickups are different...
Pro-Series
"V-Mod Jazz Bass pickups are modified versions of our classic vintage pickup designs. Packed with the fundamental Fender bass sound you know and love, these single-coil pickups crank out high-output tone with vintage warmth and the crisp, clear sound that made Fender a legend."

Elite Series:
"With the all-new 4th generation Noiseless pickups, exclusive to the American Elite Series, we’ve achieved the sonic equivalent of cold fusion—authentic vintage-style Fender sound combined with noise-free performance. A quantum leap in pickup technology, these bleeding-edge pickups are the pinnacle of our pickup designs, offering crisp, clear cleans as well as gigantic overdriven tones that are bursting with pure rock power."

Many people don't like the Noiseless pickups at all. I kind of like them myself, but I'm not that much of a stickler when it domes to Jazz pickups...

The Elite series also has an obvious visual leg-up...

From the Elites that I have played at local stores, I'm not keen on their knobs for controls...they seem kind of cumbersome. But maybe these particular ones have been at the store too long and man-handled too often...

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

Pickups are different...
Pro-Series
"V-Mod Jazz Bass pickups are modified versions of our classic vintage pickup designs. Packed with the fundamental Fender bass sound you know and love, these single-coil pickups crank out high-output tone with vintage warmth and the crisp, clear sound that made Fender a legend."

Elite Series:
"With the all-new 4th generation Noiseless pickups, exclusive to the American Elite Series, we’ve achieved the sonic equivalent of cold fusion—authentic vintage-style Fender sound combined with noise-free performance. A quantum leap in pickup technology, these bleeding-edge pickups are the pinnacle of our pickup designs, offering crisp, clear cleans as well as gigantic overdriven tones that are bursting with pure rock power."

Many people don't like the Noiseless pickups at all. I kind of like them myself, but I'm not that much of a stickler when it domes to Jazz pickups...

The Elite series also has an obvious visual leg-up...

From the Elites that I have played at local stores, I'm not keen on their knobs for controls...they seem kind of cumbersome. But maybe these particular ones have been at the store too long and man-handled too often...

 

[GODSBASSMAN]

I have the Elite and it sounds great to me. I personally don't understand how Fender makes modified pickups that always render the same sound as the ones before them only better but nothing was broken about the old ones.
Need more color choices each year. Fender has made the sound now let us have the looks as well other than black, white, sunburst, red and blue across the model lines ups. Fender, thank you for the Sonic grey ( that looks light blue to me) and the antique olive (I would like one this color in the 5 string jazz Pro).
How about 60 cycle humless single coil pickups for the passive Jazz lineup as standard... who wants to hear that hum ? I want my olive Pro 5 string jazz passive dead quiet thank you.
I do love the active / passive switch on the Elite. If you are not a knob twiddler go for the Pro. I have got to go find a "Professional" and try it out though cause I do not know how it compares to American Standard. Fender says they are better but have that Fender jazz bass tone...either way I may just buy a Pro too!

 

[SV777]

I love my Elite. Killer neck shape , fret job with effortless playability.
I actually really dig the pickup tones alot. The pre amp gives it punch with no obnoxious unusable tones even with the knobs in extreme settings.
The passive tones are also very good but I love the bloom when I pop it into active mode.

When I play it, I never feel like I'm missing or wanting for anything either in band mix or alone.

However give me a Professional and decent pre amp pedal, I'm sure it would be just as satisfying (minus the single coil buzz and different neck.)