FISHER all-tube receivers from 1961-66 are cheap and sound wonderful!

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Looks like a T-35 tweeter in those judging by the pictures - those didn't go out to 20K like we're used to today. E-V made a better horn tweeter that did go out farther than the T-35, but it cost more $$$, so it wasn't used in anything but top of the line monsters like the Patrician.

 

Thanks reb! It looks as if I have about 4 of those left in my 800b.

 

I've never seen yellow print in person, but here is a pair on e-bay:


Fisher 12AX7

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Vintage-Fishe...pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2a0637f61b

 

Here's a couple of really horrible iPhone pics from my 800-C: never paid much attention to the color of the lettering before...orange?

 

Perhaps it's discolored from the heat.

 

I see this as kinda like the enthusiast that's paying for a top notch restoration to his prized 60's muscle car. Those guys look at rivets, grommets, bolts etc with magnifying glasses and argue over the most minute details. If your shelling $$$ out for a restored Fisher(or Marantz), then by golly it better have the proper vintage tubes with print color of the era!!

 

My friend also told me that these Fishers can have a problem with the on/off knob which is also the volume. He said that the on/off function will go bad on many of these. The volume still works but the 'click' to turn it off goes goes bad on many. Anyone else heard this?

 

Yes, In my brief history of web searching for info on my 800b I have run into several references to this problem, and an eBay seller offering replacement switches. There is a short discussion of it about 3/4 of the way through THIS article.

 

My volume/power switch was killed by FedEx. It was shipped back from being refurbed and FedEx put a nice dent in the box... the switch still works, but it's not perfect, and I gave up looking for a replacement... not many of these knobs show up on eBay, and even the units that are sold "for parts" go for high prices.

 

Use a power strip.

These switches (original) are virtually unobtanium, unless you have a parts unit.
Use a power strip for on/off and control volume only.

Best,
Paul

 

John Kusching:

"Here is the minimum set of changes I would make to a Fisher tube receiver:

1) Replace the capacitors.
2) Replace the selenium with a new bridge rectifier.
3) Change the output tube bias 5.6Kohm resistor to a 3.3Kohm.
4) Add 10 ohm resistors between the output tube cathodes and ground (in 4 places).

#3 above will make the output tubes run cooler and will extend the life of the tubes. #4 allows you to monitor the currents through each output tube (by measuring the voltage across each resistor) so check how well the currents are balanced.

If you get your power switch working, I would also recommend adding the current in-rush device, which will extend the life of the power switch".

What do you think this should cost in parts and labor? I can't do it myself, if I get a Fisher without the upgrades, what should I plan on paying to have the above done? Also, shcematics were, quite helpfully, posted, but I can't find one for the 800C. Would the 500C schematic help a tech figure out how to do the above on an 800C? Thanks.

 

Actually, I'd like to add to the discussion regarding the yellow and white stenciled "Fisher" 12AX7's & hopefully raise everyone's awareness of these beauties.

The yellow label Fisher tubes were introduced around late 1960s into the 1970s, and were mostly made by Sylvania. The white label Fisher tubes were usually outsourced to Telefunken mostly, but have seen Fisher tubes from Mullard and Amperex as well. This continued until these 3 companies closed their European operations about 1968.

Bob

 

To veer a little bit off, would you experts care to comment on which of the many tubes in the Fisher 800b respond best to tube rolling? My unit seems to have a combination of original or close to it Fisher branded tubes, along with some no-name tubes. Perhaps I can just swap the good ones into the input circuit I plan to use.

I won't be using the phono stage (fire away, sorry it won't happen any time soon) and may just one set of source inputs for a DAC. The idea is to build a relatively low profile but good sounding system for our kitchen/dining area.

 

FWIW I just talked to a vintage specialist in Minneapolis who quoted me around $500 to have 1-5 above done. Seems high to me, but I have no idea how long something like that would take.

 

That's what I thought. Now I know. Thanks.

Wonder if TV repair techs could tackle it?

 

Try asking about vintage-capable techs in your area on the TUBE FORUM over at audiokarma.

 

Well, you guys sure drove up the prices on Ebay...

Here's what those two went for...

the 800-C...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140404543831&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

the 500-C...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...448&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&autorefresh=true

 

YUP!

Right when I actually have the money to buy a $500 fisher 800-C, the prices go through the roof.

 

I know what you mean. I saw a 500B with lots of rust and an unknown condition of tubes go for $255 yesterday. There seems to be a steady supply of them these days so I'm going to try and be patient.

 

WOAH. The 500B looks EXACTLY like the receiver my grandfather gave to me after my grandmother passed away. I remember a few years ago I tried to fire it up to see what these old tube receivers sound like, but it didn't turn on so I immediatley gave up and put it back on the shelf. If I had to guess, I'd say it hasn't been used since the 70s or early 80s...it was sitting in my grandparent's closet for my entire life, that's for sure. Didn't know anything about the amp; for all I knew it was a piece of junk. I knew nobody that had heard of it before, couldn't find any on ebay to see what they were worth, and couldnt find much info on the 'net about them.

I'm going to investigate this when I get home to see if it is in fact a 500B. If it's as good as everyone here says it is, I will definitely be attempting to fix it and/or if necessary, getting it fixed once I have the moolah.

 

Here's a noob question....

Would the Fisher amp work in Singapore? Electricity in Singapore is 230 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second, according to a web search