Fisher 400 FM Stereo Tube Receiver

Last weekend, I picked up a Fisher 400 FM Stereo Tube Receiver, like this one, at a garage sale ... unfortunately, it isn't as clean as the one in the picture ... but there don't appear to be any serious cosmetic defects to the receiver or the cabinet, except the brass caps have come off 3 of the control knobs ... but I have the caps ... just need to figure out the best method to reattach them ... apparently, the receiver has been in an unsealed box in the garage or attic for the last 20+ years, so it is pretty dirty ... it apparently has the four original Fisher 7868 output tubes (I am using these terms like I know what the heck I am talking about .. even though I really don't) ... I have the receiver hooked up to a pair of ElecroVoice EV-Four speakers that I bought 6 months ago at an estate sale and it sounds very nice ... I have not tried to hook up a turntable yet ... anybody know if I need a pre-amplifier for this receiver? ... there are a Phono Stereo and Phono Mono positions and on the back Phono Low and Pono High connections ... is the Low mono and the High stereo?

 

Phono Low might be for magnetic cartridges (what we use today), and Phono High might be for ceramic "high output" cartridges that were the norm back then.

Since it's obviously trashed with those three control knobs looking so bad, you can just pop it into UPS and send it my way.

Man, I gotta start hitting the garage and estate sales. Someone ought to post some tips for dumb ol' Roody....

 

I have a Fisher KX 100 (the kit version of the X100) that I bought 10 years ago for $5, along with a box of tubes. I finally got it working a couple months ago, and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

I'm using the Phono Low... it'll be obvious that Phono High is wrong, if you try it.

Those 7868s are hard to come by, and the price can be quite high. I bought some on eBay last year and they tested weak. But then I found a good deal on four for $100 or so dollars... NOS even. Usually they're $100 a piece! I'd find some 7868s now, while there are still NOS floating around.

 

You shouldn't be playing that receiver until it's been serviced. It is ill advised to purchase a vintage tube amp and simply plug and play. Even if it seems fine, there could be serious issues waiting in the wings to send the whole business up in flames. At the very least, the amp should be looked over by a qualified tech and all the tubes tested. Continuing to run it as is could be dangerous business. If you need advice or a referral to a technician, I'd be happy to assist you.

 

Super glue works best on re-attatching the gold caps.

 

Listen to da man, man! Great find...but get it serviced or you could be very sorry....

 

Thanks for the advice ... I will leave it off until I get a qualified tech to check it out ... do you know anyone in Dallas? ... how much should it cost to have someone check it out?

 

I don't know anyone in Dallas, but you can send it UPS to my tech Dick Billups who did Patrick's Fisher. His price for a simple bench test is $20, I believe. To get the amp running properly using as many original parts as possible should run you around $50-$150. A complete restoration would probably cost around $200-300. Dick's prices are very reasonable and Patrick can vouch for the quality of his work. You could also contact NOS Valves. Although I've never had any direct experience, they have an excellent reputation. I have a few other techs that I use, but they are pretty backlogged with my stuff at the moment, so I don't want to increase their work load. I would avoid using the Fisher Doc if you want the amp to be done withing the next two years. And once again, without getting into details I would strongly discourage dealing with Vacuum Tube Valley for repairs. They absolutely SCREWED a very good friend of mine pretty badly on a job they did and I consider their tech Arden Allen to be a crook.

 

1) One has to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince once in a while ... I go to an average of 10+ "estate sales" (many of which are bad garage sales) a weekend ... lots of weekends, I come home empty handed ... my first interest is vintage vinyl ... but I keep my eyes peeled for vintage hi-fi equipment ... the two usually go together ...

2) Early bird gets the worm ... the garage sale where I got the Fisher 400 advertised "old records, tape recorder and old hi-fi" ... it started at 8 AM on Friday ... I went by on Thurs. afternoon to find out more about the records which the guy offered to show me ... I bought only one (but it was a good one) and then asked him what kind of hi-fi equipment he had ... which he gladly showed me ... I plugged it in and the output tubes got hot, but I didn't know if it really worked ... I took a flier for $20 ... but I have several vintage SS receivers purchased at estate sales that don't work properly ...

 

FYI, you should never plug in a vintage tube receiver like that. It's the worst thing you can do. Assume that any vintage amp you buy is non-working, because they essentially are to some degree. An amp that has been sitting needs to be brought up slowly with a variac and monitored with a multi-meter. Any old Scott, Fisher, Pilot, etc is worth picking up for $20 without knowing if it works or not. Funny, I just bought a Fisher 400 this weekend as well for $10. It's a bit of a basket case, though. The nice thing is that it's full of Telefunken 12AX7s. The faceplate is sharp as well. I haven't decided whether to restore it or part it out.

 

Check my avatar. I love my 400. I picked it up at a garage sale and used it for a few months. I then took it to have a few caps replaced and decided to replace all the ones in the signal path. The bench test is $20. It cost about $170 at Sertech in San Jose. It sounds about the same yet I know it will be safer to use. I have a Mac 20 I was using before and now it is collecting dust. I use the Fisher with ESS AMT 1A's Wow!. The phono pre-amp is very good and the midrange is awesome. I used automotive adhesive (or silicon glue I forget) to glue on one gold cap.
Guess I should get some spare tubes....

 

Thanks for the info ... my first choice is to find someone local ... I have used a guy who did factory service work for vintage McIntosh tube equipment ... but he gets expensive ... apparently, there is a guy in the Austin area who was an authorized Fisher warranty tech who has been working on and later restoring 400s since they first came out in the mid '60s .... supposedly, he does the following:

1. Check every capacitor and replace the ones that are off-value. He doesn't believe in disturbing the others because they have been working perfectly for 40 years.

2. Full FM alignment (he has original Fisher proprietary equipment for doing that).

3. Find and fix all mechanical problems.

4. Fix all cosmetic problems. (He has original factory parts: knobs, switches, knob caps, bulbs, etc.)

5. Make sure the whole thing is operating up to full factory specs (he's an original factory warranty person).

... but I don't know his name ...

 

So it has its own internal phono pre-amp ... if I sound like a novice ... it's because I am ...

 

I will heed your advice from now on ... thanks ...

 

Hey Prix I will give you 2x your money for it.