Does this qualify as "The right place at the right time"?

GREAT GRAB!!!!!! For that price, NO WAY will you come out on the short end even if toasted.
 
I would say that qualifies as a smash and grab.

Oh man did you make out like a bandit. Congrats !
 
...and you didn't even use a gun!

Let us know how it sounds, when you get it up and running, clean and shiny. :banana:
 
Absolutely Fricken unbelievable!!! :thmbsp: :thmbsp: :banana: :banana:

You better get a lottery or Powerball ticket now!!

Shoot some pics and let us see what that looks like in the right light. Looks like it may have been a console unit without the cover, wonder if he has it. Oh well, it wouldn't be hard to make a cover from perforated stock.

Good Luck with it, you already had a good dose of that for this year :yes: :yes:

Regards,

Bart
 
It keeps getting better!!!

I just got an email from the seller. He said to give him a call tomorrow and we'll set a time for me to pick it up. He's happy it's going to a good home! :naughty:

Oh, yeah, one more thing. He also said:

"I have the JBL speakers and crossovers for it too, I will send those with you."

I'm afraid to even think "what" JBL's he's talking about!

I'll call him tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Clay
 
"I have the JBL speakers and crossovers for it too, I will send those with you."
i can only imagine also :scratch2: did he drop any hints like mabe you should bring a truck :D .i think a lottery ticket is also in order.cant wait to see what you get.
chris
 
Whoa Clay!

Sure looks like a Happy New Year at your place!

Doesn't surpeise me about the JBLs though, the Fisher had to drive something. Vintage is like gold; there's usually always more in a vein!

Don't be shy about asking if there are any old records or turntables either. Who knows, there could be a Thorens TD-124 awaiting a date with a landfill there!
 
Does this qualify as "Right place at the right time"-Uhhh, yeah, I kinda sorta think it does....-Sandy G.
 
Yeah offer to dispose of any other vintage gear he’s not interested in moving.

What a Good Samaritan your being helping this poor guy clear out some gear as he tries to move.

I’d definitely offer to take anything else he has laying around that would be too much trouble to move.


Mitch
 
What a score! Can you buy lottery tickets from other states where you live? A little work, R&R old components (esp. the selenium rectifier and bias setting to keep the output tubes from glowing red), and you'll have a great receiver. If you like headphones, the Fisher makes a great headphone amp also :thmbsp:

Cheers!
 
Oh. My. God.

All the way over I'm thinking, OK, so the chassis will be covered with rust, it'll have drugstore tubes in it, but if I just get a working on/off volume control it'll be worth more than $18.

So we chat a few minutes in the driveway, and he pulls out the speakers first. Apparently the cabinets had not survived a move from California to Michigan to Illinois, so he only saved the drivers, crossovers, and L-pads, all still with the original wiring.

A pair of JBL Linear Efficiency coaxials, model LE-14C, in absolutely perfect condition. Weigh a freakin' ton. These are the speakers his wife's great aunt had originally purchased with the 500C around 1962. He said he had them last hooked up about 3 years ago and they sounded beautiful. Anybody know anything about them? Luckily the surrounds are perfect. I had done some quick research and apparently they are both hard to find and hard to change.

Oh, yeah. The 500C. Just like every one of you who chase vintage stuff, I have x-ray vision when it comes to simple dust. I can see right through it like it isn't even there. He's carrying it front panel out against his stomach, and my eyes jump from the front panel, which appears to be flawless, all knobs present, to the chassis. Under the dust it just gleams! Paint on all the transformers is a perfect smooth black, not a speck of rust. He sets it down, and I see the tan plastic bases on the output tubes.

So I hand him a $20, and he pauses a split second and asks, "Are we good?" I grinned, and said, "Well, I figure the speakers are worth at least $1 each, so, yeah, we're good!" He laughed, said he was just happy his wife's aunt's stereo was going to a good home, and off I go.

Since he told me it hadn't been more than 3 years or so since the last time it had been on it wouldn't need to be variaced, I got home, took a quick look at things, and fired it up. Here's what I've got so far...

1. Cosmetically, it's near perfect. Front panel, lettering, dial glass...flawless. All knobs present and unbroken, missing brass caps, as is usual for all Fisher gear. Transformer paint is perfect. All tube shields present. Chassis has two small spots of discoloration, otherwise it looks like chrome. I'm stunned!

2. Plays beautifully!!! Slapped a 3' piece of twin lead on the antenna screws, and pulls in a boatload of stations, even down in the basement. All meter and dial lights work. Meters both work. CD through the aux is silky smooth. Phono sounds lovely. Holy crap this thing sounds good. It's the best of my three 500C's, by far.

3. Ear stuck to the speaker on my 98dB Klipsch, Zero, and I mean zero, hum.

4. And finally, the tubes. Apparently the great aunt didn't play it a lot, because every single tube is the original Fisher branded tube. Every 12AX7 is a diamond base Telefunken from West Germany, every other small tube is Mullard/Great Britain, and the original Fisher 7591A's.

Give me a day or two to dust things off, and I'll post some pictures.

Clay,
grinning so hard I can barely type!!!
 
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