Fisher KX-90.

[spaceman]

I saw this on CL tonight, & replied in time for a change. This thing's in beautiful condition, with all the knob caps there and in shiny-new condition, but no wooden (or any) case. I haven't fired it up yet, but the seller was playing it briefly at his house, so I know it works. The only issue is, the function selector knob is stuck in the Phono position, so I'm hoping some De-Ox clears that up. I noticed right away, that the styling & size is VERY similar to that one Fisher tuner I picked up, including the logo "The Fisher Professional Series" on the front, so maybe I can use that case. :scratch2: My nutty pipe dream of quad with tubes & horns is getting closer to reality. :D

[spaceman]

Sorry I spaced out again, here are a couple pics from the ad. :smoke:

[SpeakerLabFan]

Nice catch, Cliff. It sounds like it's a good fit with your Fisher tube tuner, 60's old school. :thmbsp::music:

[spaceman]

Thanx, Dick. I see I'm only one, now 2 posts ahead of ya, lol. :D The R-200-B is the tuner I was talking about, and it looks like they could be a matched set, cosmetically, same type of faceplate & knobs. :smoke: The tuner's more "weathered" looking though, and has an ID # etched in the faceplate, but I'm gonna get serious about cleaning them both good tomorrow. :yes:

[spaceman]

Hooray for De-Ox, it straightened that selector switch out nicely. :banana: I found that one of the 12AX7s had been replaced with a GE, so I dug into my box of spares & found another Fisher branded one, so they're all matching again. When I tried removing the faceplate for cleaning, I discovered that unusual mounting screw for the emblem plate, & couldn't figure out HOW it was mounted, so just put it all back together for now. I hooked up the h/k Rondo tubed tuner, & listened a bit through headphones, & it sounds pretty sweet, with a lot better bass than I expected. :music: I do have a hum in the left channel though, but I intend to have it recapped & checked good before I give it any real playing time.

[SixCats!]

Hi Space,

Oooh, Congrats on finding a FISHER KX-90 ! I have the same unit and it is a BEAUTIFUL sounding Amp. I much prefer the sound of my KX-90 over my FISHER 400 (which is no slouch). My KX-90 however (being all original) had a problem a while back and is out of the rotation for the time being until it's overhaul. Enjoy your KX-90 !

Regards,
SixCats!

[spaceman]

Thanx, SixCats! I knew you'd see this thread eventually, I found a couple threads about yours in a search. :thmbsp: Well, I got lucky & located one of the best people around to look at my Fisher gear, a retired gentleman who worked for many years as a tech, for some of the bigger audio places in Seattle. I can tell from talking on the phone, that he's probably forgotten more than I'll ever learn, & I learned a bit just listening to him. No insult intended at all, but he does love talking, lol. :D

[gogofast]

Thanx, SixCats! I knew you'd see this thread eventually, I found a couple threads about yours in a search. :thmbsp: Well, I got lucky & located one of the best people around to look at my Fisher gear, a retired gentleman who worked for many years as a tech, for some of the bigger audio places in Seattle. I can tell from talking on the phone, that he's probably forgotten more than I'll ever learn, & I learned a bit just listening to him. No insult intended at all, but he does love talking, lol. :D

are you talking about roger up on ballard?
if so, he's a good man. he knows his eico's and fisher's. when you go in with a piece of eico gear, he turns on that 'eico service center' sign on while fixin the stuff. :D yes, he is over flowing with knowledge and does not hesitate to spill all over you. he has lots of true NOS tubes, too, but little pricey. i'm gonna get some 7199's from him as soon as i can visit him. anyways, good luck with your fix. i saw that unit on CL, too. i can imagine it sounding great with those 6bq5's.:thmbsp::music:

[joenielsen]

My KX-90 is one of the best sounding amps I own. Currently using it with a pair of Bozak B-302s, very sweet sounding.

I replaced all of the caps on it myself and it was very straightforward. PM me if you would like a copy of the schematic and parts list, I already scanned them to give to someone else and I'd be glad to email you a copy.

- Joe

[spaceman]

Haha, yep, Roger's the guy I'm referring to, I wasn't gonna name names though. :D I got his name & # from the guy I bought my Altec horns from, so it's like I'm gradually being allowed into the secret society, lol. ;) gogofast, this one has 7189 outputs, but that's about all I can read on them, no brand left. They look pretty similar to the Fisher 12AX7s, & might be original, but that's only speculation on my part. :scratch2: joenielsen, PM sent shortly, thanx very much. :thmbsp:

[gogofast]

this one has 7189 outputs, but that's about all I can read on them, no brand left. They look pretty similar to the Fisher 12AX7s, & might be original, but that's only speculation on my part.

i think the fisher print 12ax7's & other tubes are telefunkens, but if those output tubes' prints are gone, probably not original:scratch2:. anyways, i like the lively & crisp sound of those EL84 output tubes a lot. i have a few magnavox amps with those tubes, but hope to find a fisher amp such as SA-100.

btw, if you bought a horn from someone recently and he told you about roger, that might be my brother. he was selling his spare sets of 811b's, drivers, and other bits and pieces on CL.

[spaceman]

Right on, that was gogofast's brother who sold me his spare 811-B horns. I was showing him my 800-C when he was here, & explained that it was waiting to be refurbed, is why he gave me Roger's contact info. :smoke:

[gogofast]

it's a small world after all:yes:.

so, are you getting the both fishers serviced?
if you have time, don't just drop off your gear, but stay while he fixes them. i really learned a lot while watching him fix. he will do the diagnosing, commentary, and amuse you with his hi-fi related jokes while the solder smoke fly:scratch2:. also, you can check out and drool at his gears for sale.:thmbsp: i wonder if he still has the DQ-10 set up. it was my first time hearing the 10's, and he has them set up 'right'.

[spaceman]

All 3 actually, if we count the tuner. :smoke: He wants me to call tomorrow, to set up a time, & I'll just bring one unit at a time, to avoid taking up space in his shop. I'll be happy to watch, if he doesn't mind, & I get the feeling he won't. :D He reminds me of an older guy I knew as a kid, who fixed mini-bikes for us cheap. He'd talk quite a bit, then ask you something tricky to see if you were paying attention or not, lol. :scratch2:

[SixCats!]

Hi Spaceman,

Awesome SM! I too have a similar situation here in Maine! That is to say, I have become friends with a retired RCA tech (and collector) who aside being a extremely nice and generous person, does outstanding work repairing vintage Tube Amps, Vintage Radios, etc. at VERY reasonable prices! So far, this gentleman has repaired my Scott 99A Mono Integrated Amp, a 1946 RCA Radio, my (gifted to my Father at Xmas) Crosley Radio, my Heathkit A-9C Mono Amp, (my current favorite) Pilot AA-903B (EL-84) Mono Integrated Amp. My Heathkit W-5M, (a second) Scott 99A and my Fisher KX-90 are the next projects for repair! Get em FIXED while you can!

Regards,
SixCats!

[spaceman]

Heh heh, I just now got back from Roger's, & man, that was cool. :smoke: He had a couple other people he was helping today, so I didn't get there till about 3:30. Between us talking, him working on the Fisher while I watched, & me getting a much better overall Fisher education, what felt like an hour was actually a little over 3, lol. :D Not only is he one smart guy, but he loves talking about tubed gear, & I love learning it, so it was a very enjoyable afternoon. He easily found & fixed a cold solder joint, & quickly worked a minor miracle on the wooden case, but my bass pot has fairly serious issues, so I left it so he could take his time on it. We also looked at some of his Fisher paperwork, because I was curious about the differences in the KX-90, KX-100, & KX-200 (there might easily be more in that family of kit amps, but those are the ones I asked about). I'm not sure what speakers he has on the workbench, I'm thinking KLH or AR, but man did that amp sound sweet playing them. :drool: Good Lord, I heard they were building up Ballard with more condos, but they REALLY got carried away down by the library. Whole blocks are missing, since last time I was out there. :sigh:

[gogofast]

i was there today afternoon to pick up a pair of 7199's and now playing them in my ampex. they sound sweeeeet. when i was there, he said that you were coming in later and i met this other guy with what seemed to be a citation amp. roger's getting real busy these days. i heard he had an heart attack recently - man, i hope he stays healthy.:yes:

[spaceman]

Yeah, he said he'd had a couple heart attacks now, & was really only doing repairs for his personal enjoyment. I told him to take his time, & don't stress anything, & he agreed, but I think he's the kind of guy whose mind goes a million miles an hour, so relaxing will take practice. He said my KX-90 was in very good condition, besides the issues mentioned, & I could tell he enjoyed "playing with it", so it was nice to be able to bring him a small bit of happiness. :smoke: