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Fisher Custom Sixty!!!

joel27

joel27

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I originally posted about this in D&S. This will have a little bit of back story and also photos.

A while ago I got the idea that I wanted a Fisher receiver. The one I wanted was to be a 800C or 500C. As time went on and prices got higher I decided to quit actively seeking one.

The other day while searching the local classifieds I saw a console that looked kind of neat. I then noticed that it was a Fisher. Having no experience with consoles, I asked the only people I knew that would have a clue. After a few observations and thoughts on what it could be from this great community my thoughts were "meh" maybe I don't need one.

Then I received a PM from TheRed1. When he told me what he and Jonboy55 thought it really was my interest peaked. I had to check it out and here is what I found. (sorry so long winded)

:banana::banana:
 

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Wow. Just...wow. PPP 6A3 triodes, coaxial field-coil(?) Jensen speaker...I bet that will sound fantastic when you get it restored.
 
This unit really needs to be cleaned up. Where do I start? This is my first tube amp and I am completely overwhelmed. The codes on the speaker are:

on the basket;
ST900G610C5503
220214
07?v1 not sure what the 3rd number or letter is

on back of cone; 49751

What do these numbers tell me about the speaker? I don't see a manufacture on it.

I will post more info and pictures as the process moves along.
 
Sam Cogley said:
Wow. Just...wow. PPP 6A3 triodes, coaxial field-coil(?) Jensen speaker...I bet that will sound fantastic when you get it restored.
Click to expand...

:dunno: LOL, I have a lot of learning to do. I have no idea if PPP 6A3 triodes are good/bad? I will have to live on the tube forums from here on out. :D

I don't even know how to tell if it's a field coil. :o
 
220 was (and I guess still is) Jensen's EIA manufacturer code. They made some very excellent drivers back in the day.

PPP is a type of output circuit. SE (single ended) uses one power tube per channel. PP (push-pull) uses two power tubes per channel, each driving a 180* inverted signal into the OPT (output transformer). PPP (push-pull parallel) is a variant of the PP architecture, using four (or more!) tubes to increase the power by further amplifying the output of the first pair of tubes in a second pair of identical tubes.

6A3 is the type of output tube, a six-volt version of the very desirable 2A3 triode. If you use the AK custom Google search and use "2A3" as the search term, you should find a lot of information on that tube and why it's so desirable.

I think that gigantic coil on the crossover is an external coil for a field-coil speaker. If not, it's the biggest and most unusually-mounted crossover choke I've ever seen for a coaxial speaker.
 
For a first piece of tube gear, you sure started way up towards the top of the mono mountain!
 
I've been lucky. My first receiver was the Marantz 2385. This thing weighs a ton though, my guess would be 300lbs. Took my friend and I all the strength we could muster to move it up a flight of stairs and out to the Tahoe.
 
While not quite that heavy, I carried my C800 inside by myself. Everything but the speakers were stripped out so I could actually move it.
 
I should have removed it all but I picked it up this morning at 6 am and was sleep deprived from excitement.
 
joel27 said:
This unit really needs to be cleaned up. Where do I start? This is my first tube amp and I am completely overwhelmed. The codes on the speaker are:

on the basket;
ST900G610C5503
220214
07?v1 not sure what the 3rd number or letter is

on back of cone; 49751

What do these numbers tell me about the speaker? I don't see a manufacture on it.

I will post more info and pictures as the process moves along.
Click to expand...

That's a Jensen 610 Tri-Ax speaker and crossover. worth Big, Big bux $$$. Be careful not to blow it up or damage it.
 
That's good news.
I won't be trying to use any of this until I have them all gone thru.
 
Well, you won't be tube deprived.
A couple things to consider:
1. Do you want to restore the whole thing?
2. Do you want to restore the amplifier and hunt for a second one to have stereo? A mono amp is called a monobloc in these here parts.
You can actually do 1 and 2. It may take some time before you get another treasure like that one.
 
I think with a piece as rare as this may be it seems a shame not to fully restore it. I will definitely keep an eye out for a second one because I think I would enjoy stereo more. Either way it will be a great item in my collection.
 
Joel, I think you're gonna be surprised how good mono sounds with fine equipment. And you can't do much better than the Custom Sixty for mono. But good luck finding another S-60 for stereo! :D

Damn, I can't wait to hear this thing!
 
Joel, I am really glad you got it. 500/800C's are great receivers but the Custom Sixty is in a whole different class. Now is the time to sit back, catch your breath and marvel at one of Avery Fisher's truly magnificent creations sitting right there in your own home. What does it smell like? (Strange question, I know, but it's the first one my wife usually asks.)

Based on the 220214 speaker code yours would appear to have been a '52 model - 14th week of 1952. The Custom Sixty was selling for $1,347.50 at that time. Did the seller know anything about its history?

More questions: what chassis number goes with what each component? In other words, what chassis number is on the power supply, the amplifier, the tuner and the expander? You posted a photo of the tube layout diagram but it isn't high enough resolution to be able to read. Is there any chance you could upload a high-res photo to a photo sharing site and provide a link to that image? I have another image from the guy with the other Custom Sixty and it is illegible, too. He said he had service information for his so we'll have to see if he'll share it with you.

It's curious that you came across the Sixty last week. (Historically, the coming of warmer weather usually does correspond with an outbreak of Fisher consoles.) I had been corresponding with a guy who was curious to learn more about his '51 Coronet in the Hampshire cabinet. His looks just like yours but in nearly showroom condition. I told him honestly that I thought his was the most beautiful Fisher console I have ever seen. Fisher advertised that the Hampshire cabinets were made by the Frederick Tibbenham, Ltd. furniture company in England. I think yours has the potential to be every bit as attractive as his. However, you have the advantage in that yours has all its knobs - he's missing one.

[A note to Sam: I recently compiled what I hoped would be a complete listing of every AK member with a Fisher console going back to '02. Even Grumpy had one! I didn't run across any 1940s Fishers - Jason's was indeed the oldest I found. If you could find that post you mentioned in the D&S forum I'd be very interested in adding it to the list. I have tried to post the entire list with links back to the posts but, when I previewed it, about half the entries disappeared. I think it's probably too html intense for AK - there were something like 166 entries and I already need to update it. I'm still trying to figure out some kind of workaround.]
 
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The smell was a big question for me too. The guys house was not the most pleasent of aromas. After cleaning a lot of dust out vacuuming and wiping the wood down it appears to have no sent. (I also have a slight cold so I won't really know for a couple days. :(

As for the chassis numbers:

The tuner has a model of 60R4, the amplifier model# 60A, the power supply # 60AP, and I can't see one on the expander.

If the layout on the diagram goes from left to right; it is power supply, amp, tuner, expander. Models in same order, S60, S61, S62, S65.

I haven't pulled the chassis from the cabinet to see if there are labels else where yet. As for the diagram I will try to get a better image in the next day or 2.
 
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