Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Camel Journey Precision, anyone on here?


BassTool
 Share

Recommended Posts

As it happens, it was.

Not me though, the person in question (who shall remain nameless until such time as they identify themselves!) picked my Vintage MIJ - addled brains about it. Camel was a high-end Japan-only brand owned by Kyowa Shokai, who also sold the Fresher range. So this should be good quality, very rare & hopefully a bargain a £200-odd.

Really hope so, gonna feel a bit guilty if it's a dog. :ph34r:

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 22/10/2018 at 19:04, BassTool said:

Anyone on here buy the Camel Journey Precision? It looked like a decent lump of Japanese goodness, and went for £206...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153215216646?_trksid=p2471758.m4704

‘Twas I. I’ll have to admit it was an impulse purchase and the moment the auction ended, I felt a pang of buyers remorse. I didn’t need another P-bass but always fancied owning a 70’s MIJ Precision copy. As Jon (Bassassin) mentioned, I contacted him to see if he’d heard of the brand. He came back with the info that the Camel brand was originally produced for the home market, so how it ended up in Nottingham is anyone’s guess. When it arrived yesterday, it had way too much relief in the neck and an action you could drive a bus under. Thankfully, the truss rod works perfectly and with a small shim under the heel of the neck, it now has a nice playable action. I was all for selling it last night, but now, having played it again, it’s starting to grow on me. Here are some pics

6C96082D-1718-44A6-B651-671DFFBEEB00.thumb.jpeg.c32d8f92293c3f2a6779d6bfb4af1c49.jpeg

The previous owner(s) DNA

8DF6579B-F38E-41EC-9FD1-2EDA6650C9ED.thumb.jpeg.577558638520867793fbc5e31fc33364.jpeg

More DNA

4F586DB1-71E1-4681-8C7E-46DC2533A7A3.thumb.jpeg.678b7b284560f9bdee075530139ec0af.jpeg

All cleaned and set up. Non original ashtrays removed

257E1C36-3B06-481C-9E93-8842186DA8B2.thumb.jpeg.6d2796a4d28e18d434b5f5a384e87cf5.jpeg

Wood grain clearly visible through the finish (not clearly visible in original listing photos)

51D5F4CE-7501-46C7-818D-DA1E39882EE5.thumb.jpeg.54169352d18b7cfb15e421194e01ac4c.jpeg

More grainy goodness

63067BD6-D7CB-42D5-9A06-6690F72DCA9E.thumb.jpeg.f053cbfa46d0c99b8969e9d0444e6674.jpeg

78899C0E-8323-4D39-9146-0F2378137A9D.jpeg.1707ef8ff6113aacf04e107a0e1a602e.jpeg

Camel branded tuners are very smooth and light in operation

If I should change my mind and decide to let it go, I’ll post it in the For Sale section on here first

Mark

5B9925F5-6D7F-43DF-8872-5BCC57950212.jpeg

1A1C8E81-7D27-4086-9581-EC60E8561BA9.jpeg

D2AABB82-DA0A-4492-9047-C8A5B000B9CF.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats! I love the look even more with the grain coming through. You beat me to the sale 😆 I too fancied an impulse buy, I contacted the seller earlier to ask about condition etc..... who told me it was found in the loft....😮

How does it play/sound? 😎

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spent the morning shielding the control cavity. The routing is very clean any precise. Not the usual lumpy floor you get in most affordable basses these days

B5F32C0D-7599-420B-89F0-23627DDF53D0.jpeg.3a7b7b629d62969bc1dcf64bf201dfab.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...
On 23/10/2018 at 00:02, Bassassin said:

Camel was a high-end Japan-only brand owned by Kyowa Shokai, who also sold the Fresher range. So this should be good quality, very rare & hopefully a bargain a £200-odd.

Really hope so, gonna feel a bit guilty if it's a dog. :ph34r:

 

I found this thread because I was doing a search for Fresher basses - theres an interesting thread on TB started by a Britisher who's got a MIJ Fresher p-bass: Fresher Electric Bass  ("my friend bought it off an old Sabbath roady (apparently)")

I was wondering how much these instruments sold for when they were new, relative to the price of Fenders etc. Were they around in the late 70s, just after the sterling leapt down the 🚽 ?

That E string looks like it could tell a few stories.

16201384226793029707110223154172-01.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not many Freshers in the UK but the same things turn up with all our favourite domestic 70s brands (Columbus, Avon, Grant, CMI etc) as well as Japanese brands like Maya. It's pretty much established that Fresher was a brand made by Chushin Gakki, as were many, if not all of the instruments from the other names I mentioned.

The bass in the TB thread is a low/midrange P copy, probably mid 70s, ply body, cheap 2-saddle bridge intended to be hidden under a cover. It's OK but genuinely nothing special. New, in say, 1975/6, this & its equivalents would have been about £50 or £60, so an awful lot cheaper than a real Fender P, which would've been £250-odd back then.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...