Fisher console

I bought this today(haven't picked it up yet though).
I found it on craigs list. Anyone have any ideas about it.
I know it uses el84's and that the satellite speaker has its own built in amplifier.
I am going to pick it up tomorrow and post detailed pics then.

Mark

Hey Mark:

Very nice find! That looks to be a 1959 510 Series Consolette with the 560 add-on speaker that has the 30-A amp chassis. It looks like it will clean up beautifully. Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of consoles!

Dave

Dave in CT said:

Hey Mark:

Very nice find! That looks to be a 1959 510 Series Consolette with the 560 add-on speaker that has the 30-A amp chassis. It looks like it will clean up beautifully. Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of consoles!

Dave

Click to expand...

Yep. Very sweet setup. A little cleanup and updating and that'll be part of the family.

Good Catch!

Mark:

If you can, be sure to take as many pictures as you can during your refurb of this unit. You'll be wanting to pull the amp chassis from both the consolette and the extension speaker for, not only, a general cleanup, but for a recap as well. Tons of great information is available here on both fronts. Do try and document as much of it as you can through pics. TheRed1, who is an AK member here, has done a wonderful job in compiling a database of Fisher consoles and any additional information you can provide him will help others in the future. You have a wonderful and rare piece there. Take your time and ask a lot of questions here. There is a wellspring of knowledge here from which to draw. Welcome to the fold. And be warned, this is only the beginning . Once you get this beauty back to its former glory, you will be looking for another. Consoles are very addicting!

Dave

Dave,

Can you point me a to link or picture of your '63 Fisher?

Thanks in advance,

Thanks for the info and the suggestions.
I have not actually seen the unit yet, just the pictures and talked with the owner. I told her I would buy it site unseen after talking with her. She seems very upfront about it. Checked stuff etc for me.

I do have a couple of questions.
Do you know if this unit is just a phono? If so, can I add a preamp section to allow the use ofa tuner/cd player? I obviuosly wouldn't modify the unit, I hope to just unplug the phono and plug ina pre amp, then plug phono etc into that.

I am curretnly doing a recap of an old GE integrated amp. I am aslo rebuilding the powersupply - replacing the capps and the selenium rectifier. I assume that is what you mean by updating???

I will post a multitude of pics tomorrow after I get it home.

BTW - this will be my second console. The first is what inspired me to my love of music. I was ten years old and had a paer routte. I stopped at a garage sale one day. They had a Grundig Majestic. It was the all in one version - phono, shortwave, am, and fm. It was hifi not stere. Awesome sounding tube unit. I used it unitl high school when it died. Then bought the new and improved solid state stuff
Never quite sounded as good.
So, maybe now I can start over witha new(to me) console)>
I can't wait.
Mark

Dave's right about your console (and Fisher consoles in general). You're lucky that 510 still has its "Companion" - I just found a 510 last month but without the 560. I thought I got a pretty good deal for $40. You got a great deal on a pair for only $5 more! Now just fix 'er up and you'll be this guy:



What you're up against:

Some (most) of that Fisher EL84 iron has the best low end response I've heard. Truly great iron on those things.

i'd love to see picture of "companion amp". i wonder if they come with those cool looking fisher metal mesh cover.

Thanks for the brochure.
35watss peak???? Rms is about 25?? Is that the same rating for the consollette too?
I am not going to be able to sleep tonight.

Jcricket said:

I do have a couple of questions.
Do you know if this unit is just a phono? If so, can I add a preamp section to allow the use ofa tuner/cd player? I obviuosly wouldn't modify the unit, I hope to just unplug the phono and plug ina pre amp, then plug phono etc into that.

Mark

Click to expand...

Yes, just phono, but Fisher was real good about providing inputs for future expansion. You have three sets of stereo RCA inputs - one labeled "phono", one "tuner" and one "aux". The 510 chassis has its own preamp as well as a phono stage. No outboard equipment needed - you're all set.:thmbsp:

Jcricket (Mark):

That unit would appear to be phono only. I would imagine that there are a set of AUX inputs that you could utilize for an external tuner/CD/Ipod/whatever. I don't think you would want to use an external device into that phono section. I'm afraid I'm a bit unfamilier with Fisher's of that vintage, so I'm unsure as to whether that phono stage is for a magnetic or ceramic cartridge.

As for recapping the amps, I would strongly suggest that both chassis (console and extension speaker) be pulled. Remove and tag each tube from them and give the chassis time in a low-temp oven. There is a sticky here that explains the procedure. In a nutshell, placing the bare (tubeless) chassis in a low-temp oven (upside down) for a couple hours allows any moisture trapped in the transformers to leach out. It may also encourage the goop in those big electrolytic caps to ooze back around their internals. I would strongly suggest that you not plug it in as soon as you get it home. As appealing as the urge feels, you may damage things that would be hard to replace in doing so. Pull the amp chassis, replace the electrolytic caps and the coupling caps, then bring it up slowly on a variac. You really don't want to take a chance on frying a transformer, that would be really bad. Just take your time and resist the urge to plug it in when you get it home, you'll be happier in the end. Your purchase is truly a prize that you will treasure for years to come. Just keep in mind that it's 50 years old and will need a little extra care in bringing it back to life properly.

Dave

TheRed1:

That tube layout you posted shows a single pair of EL84s for the output stage. Is this a P-P mono amp that relies on the extension speaker/chassis for stereo?

Dave

Dave in CT said:

TheRed1:
That tube layout you posted shows a single pair of EL84s for the output stage. Is this a P-P mono amp that relies on the extension speaker/chassis for stereo?

Dave

Click to expand...

You are correct. The 510 is a stereo preamp with a single PP output in one chassis. My sister-in-law's 1960 Custom Electra III is set up in a similar fashion but all in one cabinet. Her stereo preamp/single "A" channel is a 610-ST (for "stereo" presumably) and this is her "B" channel:

TheRed1 said:

Yes, just phono, but Fisher was real good about providing inputs for future expansion. You have three sets of stereo RCA inputs - one labeled "phono", one "tuner" and one "aux". The 510 chassis has its own preamp as well as a phono stage. No outboard equipment needed - you're all set.:thmbsp:

Click to expand...

TheRed1 Carter:

I was unsure of that chassis as I have yet to come across one. I knew that you'd have the ultimate answer! I assumed that being a Fisher, it would have accommodations for external inputs.

Jcricket Mark:

Here in lies the reason for documenting your restoration. Folks like TheRed1, FisherDude, resound, Markus and others teach us all about the restoration and love of these beautiful old pieces. Although some of these folks get more than their fair share of them (markus?), the rest of us need to live vicariously through the good fortune of others. Whatever information (pictures are invaluable) you can provide throughout the process will add to the collective knowledge here.

I mentioned previously about removing the tubes. Resist the urge to vigorously clean them. A dryer sheet works well for removing the years of dust without erasing very delicate lettering on old Fisher tubes. You likely have some Fisher branded Telefunken output tubes and a few ECC83s or the same brand. Keepers for sure. Care for them!

Dave

Enjoy your new obsession!
Dave

TheRed1 said:

You are correct. ...

Click to expand...

Carter:

Only due to you and folks like Mark (markus). You guys are such a wellspring of knowledge it makes it easy for pleebs, like me, to get quickly up to speed. All anyone need do is read any number of threads you guys have posted in. AK is such a wonderful encyclopedia of knowledge, I only wish I had found it sooner. I really love it here! Keep posting so I (we) can keep learning.

Sincerely,
Dave

Jcricket said:

Thanks for the brochure.
35watss peak???? Rms is about 25?? Is that the same rating for the consollette too?
I am not going to be able to sleep tonight.

Click to expand...

Jcricket / Mark:

A pair of EL84s (in top shape) will likely give you 10-12w RMS, perhaps a little less. The drivers in that console and extension speaker are very, very efficient. They will provide room-filling sound with ~1-1.5 watts of input. You will be amazed with the sound those little amps provide. No, you will not get wall-shaking bass, but the sound of vocals and midrange is to die for. Smooth and mellow with a presence unlike anything (other than very expensive current solid state) you likely have heard. You are in for a treat!

Dave

TheRed1 said:

You are correct. The 510 is a stereo preamp with a single PP output in one chassis.

Click to expand...

TheRed1:

Is that a pair of 6BQ5s on that 30-A chassis? If so, that had to have been a very early use of them right? Avery Fisher was a genius and a true innovator of Hi-Fi of that time. What a wonderful discovery that Jcricket happened across. I can't wait to see the pictures of his rehab.

Dave

wow, that is a huge output transformer. Its nearly as big as the power transformer!

gadget73 said:

wow, that is a huge output transformer. Its nearly as big as the power transformer!

Click to expand...

Yep, which probably explains the killer low end on these. One question though, is the speaker output on your 510 rated for a 2.5ohm speaker? Mine is, which caused a problem when I was going to steal the iron from a set for a scratch build. It actually said 2.5ohms right above the speaker screw terminals of the 510. The 30 was regular 4, 8, 16. I never figured out why they did that, but I know if you hook up two Heresies in series to that 510, it kicks butt as a mono.