The Commmander's Console (Pt. 1)

TheRed1

Console Conservationist
A month or so ago AK member Snade passed some outstanding audio karma my way by putting me in touch with a guy from somewhere in Virginia who had contacted him seeking information on what he identified as a Fisher console. Snade forwarded the e-mail he had received which included a description and photos. The components listed were: a Fisher 800C, Sony TC-600 reel-to-reel, and unidentified turntable and speakers.

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Despite being the “Fisher console guru” I wasn’t able to ID this one. It appeared to be the functional equivalent of a 1963 Fisher Executive VIII but with separate speaker enclosures. So, more out of curiosity than anything else, I contacted the guy. As fate would have it he lived not far away and we arranged for me to go take a look. He met me at the door and he led me down into the finished basement where he introduced me to “The Commander”, the console’s original owner. And there it was.

Immediately I knew I was in trouble. I tried to remain calm but I could feel my heart rate jump. They had it hooked up and turned on, tuned to some radio station and sounding pretty good. They told me to feel free to mess with the controls and I was astounded at how smooth and crackle-free they were. I set the tone controls to their neutral setting (they’d been turned all the way down) and found a stronger station. I doubt I can fully convey just how showroom new this 800C looks, feels and sounds.

The console was pulled out from the wall so access to the back was easy. There I found bi-fold doors with hidden ball-and-spring latches framed in wood with screen inserts for ventilation protecting the electronics and wiring. Inside were shiny and dust-free chassis and an insane number of unusually high-quality 1960s era cables. The cabinetry was definitely Fisher quality with just a few minor dings and scrapes (resulting, no doubt, from the immense number of miles it has traveled). They happily took out the dozen or so screws to remove the tightly fitting back panel of one of the speakers revealing a monstrous 12” Wharfedale coaxial inside a very nicely insulated ported cabinet.

As I was being overwhelmed by this amazing console, “The Commander”, who, of course was a naval commander, related the story of how in late 1963 he and his wife flew from their home on Guam, to Japan, bought the components and had the Yokohama Hi-Fi Cabinet Maker Company build this custom console based on the Commander’s sketches. A couple of months later, at just about the same time I was born, it was completed and flown back to Guam where it was certainly the finest Hi-Fi on the island. He also shared some stories of his naval career as one of the first typhoon/hurricane chasers which I found equally fascinating.

I asked and obtained permission to photograph the console thinking I would probably never see anything like it again in my lifetime. Following is a sampling. Then I told them the sad truth about consoles and how they are generally worth more parted out and sold piecemeal than as a whole. I also tried to convey the magnitude of the tragedy it would be in this instance. Not being a terribly wealthy person I made an offer which I told them I honesty believed to be less than half of its value if parted out but which was still more than twice what I have ever paid for a console. They very politely told me that they were really looking for as much as they could get for it. I was actually somewhat relieved as I had no place to put it and am very happy with the Fisher Premiere console I already have.

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The Commander's Console (Pt. 2)

I wasn’t so obsessed with this console that I thought about it every day - maybe just a couple of times a week. But I let a month go by without contacting them, checking Craigslist and eBay no more than usual. I figured for sure they must have sold it by now so I contacted them a few days ago just to verify its status. Wrong. Not sold! But they were about to list it so, sensing the opportunity, I made another offer and it was accepted. I paid a fair price - it was certainly no steal. But still, for me: a deal. And good Audio Karma.

I picked it up this past Thursday and had the opportunity to talk with the Commander more about the console and his life. He also gave me all the paperwork associated with the console and it’s a veritable treasure trove: complete manuals including the Fisher Corp. service manual for the 800C; a 1963 Fisher Guide to Custom High Fidelity Stereo Components; a 1965 Fisher Speaker Systems booklet; 1965 Fisher components price list; an extremely cool reprint of an article about Avery Fisher by John M. Conly that must have appeared around 1960 in his “They Shall Have Music” column in The Atlantic; a brochure for the Sony TC-600 reel-to-reel plus manual and schematic; a Wharfedale speaker template; a Garrard Type A manual and template plus instructions for Rek-O-Kut tone arms models S-320 & S-260; etc., etc...

But the best thing has to be the Commander’s original notes and sketches as he was deciding what components to buy and formulating the design of the console. One odd thing is that he has the Fisher 800C crossed off and seems to be leaning toward some of the less expensive alternatives available. I guess he changed his mind. And then there are the drawings/invoice from the Yokohama Hi Fi Cabinet Maker Company showing the date ordered and the date delivered.

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I am very curious about this reel-to-reel having never owned one. It has a transistorized initial input stage but the rest is all tube. There was next to nothing on this model when I googled it - just some guy on YouTube pointing out that it had tubes in it over and over again. I’m sure it will need lubrication but it looks absolutely brand new from the back. It was powered up when I went to see it the first time and all the tubes were glowing but I didn’t touch it and suggested it should probably be serviced before being tested beyond initial power-up. Among the items that came with the console are numerous blank reels and before I packed everything up the Commander went through them to make sure there wasn’t anything he wanted to keep. He picked up one commercially prerecorded reel suggesting that I probably wouldn’t be interested in the music of his generation and when I asked to see what it was he held up a Les Baxter recording. I think it surprised him that I was fan and have quite a few of his records and even a few CDs - so he threw that in, too. I can’t wait to hear what's on there. Here’s the cover of the Sony TC-600 brochure and the picture I took of the back of the actual unit:

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So now the hard part: I’ve got to liquidate my current basement setup to make room for this extraordinary console. And this includes some equipment I was sure would still be in my possession when I died. But I think it will be worth it - my wife, I think, will appreciate the bi-fold doors that completely hide its hi-fi-ness when not in use. She seemed genuinely excited for the opportunity this affords us to somewhat redecorate her exercise room/my listening room. But a lot of her positive excitement wore off when I finally got her to understand that while the console is only 4’ long, there are ALSO two speakers almost as big as my Cornwalls. We are now in the negotiation stage and I’m being extra-helpful around the house except for the fact that it has taken most of the morning to write this post. I hope you guys appreciate this.
 
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The commander will live on

Thanks for sharing this story.

I particularly appreciated the original drawings.

Did you notice that one of the alternative options for the receiver was listed once as a "Trio" and once as a Kenwood?

Nice to see that others appreciate our "audio heritage". :thmbsp:
 
Wow! :yikes: :jawdrop: :drool:
That's about all I can say right off...
Wow!

Great console with great gear in it, great documentation, great back-story and provenance...

You're a lucky man, and your wife should appreciate that what you are bringing in has much higher WAF than 90+ percent of all audio. That cabinetry is beautiful, and being old Japanese craftsmanship, has some value of its own. I don't think I've ever seen unrestored gear of that age that looks as new as yours. It's GORGEOUS!

CONGRATULATIONS! :thmbsp:
 
man,
very nice indeed... gotta wonder how many of these customs are sitting in dirty old basements. nice find...

the teak plywood alone would break the bank for me in todays economy
 
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What do you currently have that you are going to liquidate? Perhaps there are AK'ers in the area that might be interested.

Just curious.

And congrats on that find, it is really amazing!

-Steve
 
I appreciate your commitment to these consoles.If not for people like you some would be lost forever.I love these pieces but have not the space,time,money or tech expertise to do anything with them.
 
Obviously...

It was meant for our Fisher console guru to have it. Your karma was right, and the old master knew it.....:thmbsp:

Congrats!
 
Sweet! I love my 800c and that is one of the cleanest ones I have ever seen! Nicely done. Those knob brights look almost too good to believe. Do they have lines, or are earlier or later models done without the lines. Cool story and unit! John
 
Wait a second...this is too much...not only do tubes create a sweet/warm sound, they are also the source of sweet/warm stories?!?! I'm no tube guy, but I love your tale and wonderful documentation. Congrats...
 
Wow, what a gorgeous piece. Thanks for sharing the pics, scans and story, and glad that machine went to a good home.
 
I'd bet that the Commander is very glad to have seen his prized Hi-Fi go to someone who really knows what it is they are appreciating.

Those Warfdale speakers are probably no slouches. The Brits really knew what they were doing with that type of speaker. I have some full range Goodman Axiom 401s that I love.

Great story!

Lar
 
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