So I tried Fender Elite jazz basses today...

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

I bought two elite jazz basses this month. Sunburst with a rosewood board and an ocean turquoise with an ebony board.

I'd been checking out basses the past month, and kept coming back to jazz basses and walked out with a sunburst elite jazz from sam ash a few weeks back. It played fantastic, sounded good in the store, and I liked the classic looks of it so took it home. Last week I ordered an ocean turquoise from sweet water which arrived this week.

Aside from an annoying buzz coming from the 3rd fret when the 8th fret on the E string of the sunburst jazz is fingered, both basses are flawless. Im sure that buzz can be addressed by a proper setup (something sweetwater does before sending out).

As far as the fretboard goes, anything that is new manufacture (and not a custom) I saw in the stores or even online whether it was ebony or rosewood was disappointing, but thats the way it is now for these woods I think. Out of all the Ocean Turquoise basses I saw photos of, (roughly a half dozen) only one had an ebony board that could be considered black, and even that one had light streaks of brown in it. The darker rosewoods and all black ebony is hard to get and expensive. I at first didn't care for the brown streaks i have in the ebony fretboard of my OT elite, but I've grown to like it now.

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the noiseless pickups run pretty hot, and I won't argue that there is a limited range of useful tones you can get from them, but they certainly don't sound awful like some here imply. I have not used either bass in a gig setting yet (tonights the first for that) but have used the sunburst one in a few jam sessions and got nothing but complements on the tone.

The passive tone on them sounds great as well.

Yeah, they are expensive, but frankly what isn't expensive these days?

Those streaks are stupendous IMO

 

[Member8675309]

and Coca-Cola is the best soda.....

I wouldn’t say it’s the best, but I’d say it’d be highly satisfying in most thirsty situations.

 

[DavC]

just because any manufacture decides to ' state ' an item is Better , and then charge more for it , ... does not really mean that said item is actually any better , or worth more .. !!??

 

[pacojas]

love the elite jbass. it was a joy, ime

 

[mobdirt]

love the elite jbass. it was a joy, ime

I look forward to trying one

 

[Altitude]

That thing looks awesome. I've been a fender guy for close to 20 years but I opt for the less expensive (and IMO better quality) Japanese models. Had a US standard jazz for maybe a couple weeks before I traded it off.

Anyway I'd rock a Valenti like that over a US standard or Elite any night.

Thank you. That bass looks and sounds great, it records pretty much like a Fender, and it's not much more than 8 pounds. It's been a very good instrument.

 

[I am Soma]

My elite jazz is the best bass I've ever owned and I have had/have dunable, Modulus, rick, Gibson, gould, EBMM, Elrick, Ibanez, lull, sandberg, etc.

Worth every penny and my favorite for playability, craftsmanship, looks, and sound. Peeps like things. Some peeps don't.

 

[songwriter21]

Geez, I must be the only one who thinks that RC kicks the hell out of Pepsi and Coke! Oh, such a sleeper of a cola...an underdog....

Christ, do they even still make it?

EDIT: Heehee! [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[GreyBeard]

even though I'm kind of a Fender or (fender- like) person, I'd never pay over a grand for one, and I'd always buy used. the ones I have I got for $600-850.

and feel wise, a nice set up mim fender is just as a fine instrument imo.

I can appreciate this position and I think it is kind of cool that Fender gives us 4 distinct choices. Squire, MIM Fender, US pro Fender and Elite. And, with a good setup and strings, any of them can get the job done. A Squire Jazz starts at around $300, a MIM Fender Jazz at around $600, a passive pro around 1500 and the active Elite at around $2,000. That is 4 different Fender jazz basses at 4 different price points.

 

[Adam Wright]

Geez, I must be the only one who thinks that RC kicks the hell out of Pepsi and Coke! Oh, such an a sleeper of a cola...an underdog....

Christ, do they even still make it?

EDIT: Heehee! [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I was on the road for a west coast tour and saw the LA Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks game on our day off and they had RC as the primary soft drink at the Honda Center in Anaheim. RC is also my favorite and very difficult to find.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Geez, I must be the only one who thinks that RC kicks the hell out of Pepsi and Coke! Oh, such an a sleeper of a cola...an underdog....

As a kid I wanted Pepsi, but my parents never bought it.
My grandparents thought they be nice to all the grandchildren & keep soda for us, even though they never indulged.
You guessed it, they always bought RC Cola. Most of us preferred something else, but didn't complain.

Even when my grandfather took me to the general store for a rag bologna sandwich, he'd ask for two Cokes & we'd get served RC Cola, LOL!

dangit!
Now I've got a hankering for a thick slice of bologna with mustard on toast.

 

[jwilson67]

Those streaks are stupendous IMO

Fender offering Ebony as a fingerboard option?? When did they start that? That's pretty awesome!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Fender offering Ebony as a fingerboard option?? When did they start that? That's pretty awesome!

CITES

 

[Josh Kneisel]

Geez, I must be the only one who thinks that RC kicks the hell out of Pepsi and Coke! Oh, such a sleeper of a cola...an underdog....

Christ, do they even still make it?

EDIT: Heehee! [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

RC is only slightly better than some store brand colas IMO, but nearly every cola is better than Pepsi...

 

[Josh Kneisel]

I dig ebony fingerboards

 

[slagheap]

i've owned a ton of fenders. 60s through 2013. Js & Ps. nippon, mexico, usa. ash, alder, maple boards, rosewood boards. also dan electro, ibanez, yamaha, ovation, rickies, no-names, kramer spector, but mostly fenders. several of the fenders were simply divine, and a few were junk, especially a few mexican fenders were garbage, but also a usa was bunk. now i play a 2013 bone stock am std P. i chose it from among several that were available. it's fine, nothing awe inspiring, but a solid pro tool. buy used & PRACTICE MORE.

 

[Mr.Ace]

Went into the 'ol Guitar Center to try two Fender Elite Jazz basses: a 4-string and a 5-string.

Bottom line: holy cow, I was NOT impressed at all. The playability, the feel, the sound, the craftsmanship... nothing about them struck me as meriting the retail price tag.

This is not meant to be a bash on Fender! But....

Is there something wrong with me, or have any of you had the same feelings?

In 2015 I bought a brand new Fender American deluxe jazz bass, a 4 string. Was 1,700$ it was pretty, but I hated it. I ended up trading it for a beat down Warwick Thumb Bolt on 5 string. Wasn’t thrilled with that bass either, but i did like it much better then the fender. I definitely traded down and lost my butt on the trade. I decided after, that I’m just not a Fender guy. Also probably will never buy a nother new bass again.

 

[MobileHolmes]

As a kid I wanted Pepsi, but my parents never bought it.
My grandparents thought they be nice to all the grandchildren & keep soda for us, even though they never indulged.
You guessed it, they always bought RC Cola. Most of us preferred something else, but didn't complain.

Even when my grandfather took me to the general store for a rag bologna sandwich, he'd ask for two Cokes & we'd get served RC Cola, LOL!

dangit!
Now I've got a hankering for a thick slice of bologna with mustard on toast.

All I wanted was a Pepsi!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

S.T. at their finest:

 

[UmamiBass]

i've owned a ton of fenders. 60s through 2013. Js & Ps. nippon, mexico, usa. ash, alder, maple boards, rosewood boards. also dan electro, ibanez, yamaha, ovation, rickies, no-names, kramer spector, but mostly fenders. several of the fenders were simply divine, and a few were junk, especially a few mexican fenders were garbage, but also a usa was bunk. now i play a 2013 bone stock am std P. i chose it from among several that were available. it's fine, nothing awe inspiring, but a solid pro tool. buy used & PRACTICE MORE.

I agree with this post. I've also owned many Fenders, and HAVE been wow'd by a few of them. Others were at least decent basses. My personal experience with them is that they're good basses generally. With many of them, you get exactly what you pay for. If you like to mod instruments, then you get a blank canvas in which you can create all kinds of different sounds!

Some people think that after a certain price point, an instrument should automatically have wow factor. I don't think this is true at all! I've played MTD, Sadowsky, Lakland, Lull, and Fodera. Honestly, many of those instruments didn't do anything for me. Some of them redifined what I wanted an instrument to sound/feel like. All of them were made with great craftsmanship.

I really really wanted a serious 70's style jazz bass. Initially I had my heart set on a Sadowsky. I was in NYC, met Mr. Sadowsky (a seriously nice guy who does awesome work with an incredibly accommodating team), and played a few of their showroom instruments. I just wasn't feeling them, but I really enjoyed my time there. I knew that technically they were much better basses than the Fender I ended up a couple months later (an AVRI 75 Jazz Bass), but they just didn't connect with me.

I feel like basses are kind of like suits. Sometimes you'll find one right off the rack that just seems to do it. Other times, you have to have them tailored to work just right for you after buying a basic one. Then, if you're able to, you may buy something that was made just for you! They can all work functionally, but obviously they have differences.

Fender style basses are some of the most subjective of basses you can buy due to all the differences in the model years, electronics, aftermarket parts, and fit/finish options present. I personally love them because I WANT to change them. The biggest flaw I found with Fender's series at this price point is that their stock electronics are super lacking, and the body shape kind of had weird dimensions that didn't work ergonomically for me. I could have changed the electronics myself, but I didn't care for the body. Funny enough, I did end up finding a used Custom Shop Custom Classic Jazz Bass, which is a really similar instrument, and got it for about $150 less than the Elite! It's taken 4 months, but it's finally nearing exactly what I want(I've changed the pickups, the preamp, refinished the neck, and am getting the body refinished this spring)! Sometimes you have to spend time with any instrument for it to really make you feel at home, and provide some wow in your life.

Sorry for writing so much, but I guess I just don't have the expectations that an off the shelf instrument will do everything I want it to. If I'm going to spend years on it though, I at least want it to be the solid foundation in which I can make something that's totally mine, and sometimes there is a cost that comes with that. I feel they're trying really hard, and they're taking appointments from many of the big name luthiers into consideration with this series.