Josey Wales
Member
Hello, Everyone,
I'm fairly new to the group and i've been using the valuable information on here for some minor projects in the past. Some great JBL 4311 posts about crossover updates etc. I want to say thanks for that. I have recently obtained a Fisher 500-B and I plan to restore it. My father had a Fisher set up in our living room for about 40 years so I'm certainly partial to the name. My father has since passed and In his honor I plan to get this amplifier back on the road to do something that I think he might have respected and in the process, learn as much as i can about this great amplifier. I'm ok with a soldering iron and I know the difference between caps, resistors and transformers but my knowledge on electrical stereo components is very limited. Schematics look like a foreign language to me. I want to do it right (without going for a degree in electrical engineering, too expensive, ha) so if I could get some advice or maybe some tips on the process it would be very helpful and I would be grateful. I'm sitting here looking at 4 tube amps I have purchased over the last 3 years thinking wow, is there anything better? Lol. After my research on here, I have noted some important steps to start with.
1) Replace the selenium rectifier? (where would I find one and what does it look like? What are the specs on it?)
2) Replace the caps? (Which ones? there are a lot of them)
3) I think all of the tubes are original and they don't look burned up like the others i've seen so i would just keep those
4) Are these kits on the auction site worth buying? A gentleman by the name of captain fantastic on there has a kit with an adjustable bias modification as well as the kit for replacing the insides of the cans on top.
5) The condition of the amp is pretty good cosmetically and all parts appear to be intact (all original) aside from some missing knob caps but that will be the finishing touch after cleaning etc.
6) I'd like this to look as original as possible
7) I was thinking of starting with something that might be easy to get a "win" and some confidence and then branch out form there.
8) Should i do this myself or pay someone to do it? I live in the Pittsburgh, PA area
9) Thank you for this awesome forum and all of the great information contained within it. I didn't know so many people loved vintage audio equipment like I do. I just thought I was weird. No longer. Lol.
10) Hopefully this thread made it's way into the Fisher forum as intended. Apologies ahead of time if it has not.
11) Pics of the amp to come shortly (I'll try to get a shot of the undercarriage)
I'm fairly new to the group and i've been using the valuable information on here for some minor projects in the past. Some great JBL 4311 posts about crossover updates etc. I want to say thanks for that. I have recently obtained a Fisher 500-B and I plan to restore it. My father had a Fisher set up in our living room for about 40 years so I'm certainly partial to the name. My father has since passed and In his honor I plan to get this amplifier back on the road to do something that I think he might have respected and in the process, learn as much as i can about this great amplifier. I'm ok with a soldering iron and I know the difference between caps, resistors and transformers but my knowledge on electrical stereo components is very limited. Schematics look like a foreign language to me. I want to do it right (without going for a degree in electrical engineering, too expensive, ha) so if I could get some advice or maybe some tips on the process it would be very helpful and I would be grateful. I'm sitting here looking at 4 tube amps I have purchased over the last 3 years thinking wow, is there anything better? Lol. After my research on here, I have noted some important steps to start with.
1) Replace the selenium rectifier? (where would I find one and what does it look like? What are the specs on it?)
2) Replace the caps? (Which ones? there are a lot of them)
3) I think all of the tubes are original and they don't look burned up like the others i've seen so i would just keep those
4) Are these kits on the auction site worth buying? A gentleman by the name of captain fantastic on there has a kit with an adjustable bias modification as well as the kit for replacing the insides of the cans on top.
5) The condition of the amp is pretty good cosmetically and all parts appear to be intact (all original) aside from some missing knob caps but that will be the finishing touch after cleaning etc.
6) I'd like this to look as original as possible
7) I was thinking of starting with something that might be easy to get a "win" and some confidence and then branch out form there.
8) Should i do this myself or pay someone to do it? I live in the Pittsburgh, PA area
9) Thank you for this awesome forum and all of the great information contained within it. I didn't know so many people loved vintage audio equipment like I do. I just thought I was weird. No longer. Lol.
10) Hopefully this thread made it's way into the Fisher forum as intended. Apologies ahead of time if it has not.
11) Pics of the amp to come shortly (I'll try to get a shot of the undercarriage)
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