Fisher R-20

J

Jered

New Member
Hi guys, I recently inherited a Fisher R-20 Medalist. I replaced the bad tubes and fired it up. AM radio comes in as well as FM, but the FM is a lot weaker. It also could use a couple knobs. Turntable works but I have no vinyl to test the needle. My relatives bought it in 1959, serial No. I-0478-N
If anybody could point me in the right direction for fixing this up I would really appreciate it.
Here are some pics.

fishingpics299.jpg

fishingpics300.jpg

fishingpics301.jpg

fishingpics302.jpg

fishingpics303.jpg

fishingpics304.jpg
 
I'm really scratching my head on this one. A stereo R-20 in a Medalist II cabinet, with a Medalist II faceplate? A Medalist II should be a 1958 mono-only console (I stripped one for the receiver to restore my C800), but the markings are correct for 1959 - which should be an R-30-S with stereo phono preamp. It also has markings on the back for connecting a stereo TT, but I don't see the output jack for the companion speaker.

That Dual turntable is a 60s-vintage replacement, the original would have been a Garrard changer, turned to face forward.
 
On that last pic, the three screws on that plate. On the plate it says "ext. spkr". Could that be for the companion speaker you mentioned? Does anybody know what the original speaker would have been in this unit? I can open it up and take some more pics if need be.
Thanks for the help.
 
"External Speaker" might be for the stereo speaker, it depends on how it's wired. Some of the mono consoles had an extension speaker connection - it wasn't stereo, it was just as second mono speaker.

Should have a down-firing Jensen 15" woofer with a Jensen 8" mid and a cone tweeter facing forward.
 
The catalog specs for the 1958 R-20 do mention the existence of an "input jack for stereo channel, tape recorder, TV sound, etc." However, the R-20 chassis, as far as I know, was strictly mono. Is there an input selector setting for "stereo"? It could be that there was a switching provision to combine the left and right channels into a mono signal but the schematic doesn't appear to support that conclusion. In the schematic there is one phono input with associated mono pre-amp and EQ options. The other input is labeled "TV" and does not appear to have any additional pre-amp or EQ in its path.

It is possible that Fisher offered a stereo modification option for the R-20 chassis. There was apparently one available for its contemporary, the TA-500. However, I believe it would also require the addition of an outboard phono pre-amp like the PR-66 as well as a second amp like the 30-A. Next time you have the R-20 chassis out of the cabinet check to see if there is an unused potentiometer concentric with the volume control. My TA-500 has this and I believe it was included to facilitate a possible future stereo conversion.

I do believe that your Provence is the 1958 Medalist II model probably purchased in '59 at a close-out sale. There was indeed a '59 Medalist but it had the R-30-S chassis which was stereo-capable without modification. It had two sets of stereo inputs (phono and aux/tuner) and two line-level outputs labeled "RCRDR" and "AMPL" as well as screw terminal speaker connections from its single channel EL-84 power amp. You still needed a stereo companion amp/speaker for true stereo but it was plug-n-play 1950s style.

There was one of these '59s on CL in Fredericksburg, Va. a year or so ago mistakenly identified as a Fisher R-305 but it was overpriced and I had no room. Now I regret not having even called to see if the price was negotiable. Someday I'm going to find me a nice 50s Fisher or, if I'm real lucky, one from the late 40s. I'm not holding out much hope for finding a one of Avery's pre-war Philharmonics, though.
 
Red, My '58 R-20 has the older style glued-on blue metal data plate and the "TV" input is only labeled "TV," not "Stereo or TV" like this one. I'd be very curious to see the underside of that chassis.
 
The lower knob on the far right, the front has labeled, clockwise: Stereo, AM, FM, then the phono section: EUR, AES, RIAA, WORN
 
Jered said:
Do you guys want me to pull out the chassis and take some pics?
Click to expand...
Yes, please. Some close-ups underneath should tell the story. The possibility of a stereo R-20 is very intriguing. Have you opened the cabinet's speaker enclosure? You never know, if your R-20 is stereo-capable you might have more chassis hidden in there.
 
Jered said:
The lower knob on the far right, the front has labeled, clockwise: Stereo, AM, FM, then the phono section: EUR, AES, RIAA, WORN
Click to expand...
Jered, how many tubes does your R-20 have?

And Sam, does your R-20 have a stereo input setting like Jered's? I'm guessing not. This is getting interesting.
 
Been meaning to post this. The sales receipt says Fisher R20 Pro, date of purchase is 2-12-59 from Birkel-Richardson Co, 730 W. Seventh St. Los Angeles, CA. (here's the funny part) Phone # VAndike 1241
Final sales price was $436.80
There is also paperwork indicating the turntable was replaced 5-27-72
The original operating instructions/manual is also here.
 
It has eleven tubes.
3-6BJ6
2-6BQ5
1-6U8A
1-6CB6A
1-6SC7
1-6AL5
1-12AX7
1-5U4GB
No I have not opened the cabinet up yet. I will try and take a look tonight if I can, and hopefully get pics of the innards tomorrow evening.
 
TheRed1 said:
Jered, how many tubes does your R-20 have?

And Sam, does your R-20 have a stereo input setting like Jered's? I'm guessing not. This is getting interesting.
Click to expand...

Here's where things get interesting. I still have the faceplate from the '58 Medalist II I stripped - that one has "TV" as the furthest-left setting. However, the C800 cabinet which is now housing that unit - which is known to be a '58 Contemporary and NOT a '59 Contemporary II - DOES have the "Stereo" marking. Both had mono Garrard changers, though if the Medalist II was a very early 58 production example and the Contemporary was a late 58 example, it would explain why the Contemporary which was one step down the line had the later and more advanced GE VRII cartridge.

I really want to see the underside of this mystery R-20, since to keep my Contemporary as original as possible I should make sure the receiver is wired to the later standard. The tube lineup is the same for both versions.

Not to be nitpicky, but there is a 12th tube - the 6E5 "eye" tube.
 
Opened up the cab and there is no other chassis and the speakers are just as described earlier. 15" facing down, 8" and tweeter facing forward. 2uF and 20uf crossover inside.
I'll get the pics inside the chassis tomorrow.
 
Based on the number of tubes (which matches up with the schematic I have for what is definitely a mono R-20); the lack of input/output jacks that would allow for the connection of outboard pre and power amps and the price paid - $436.80 - (the MSRP for the Medalist II was $479.50 and prices were often higher on the west coast); I'd have to stick with my original conclusion that this is a '58 model Provence (Fisher R20 Pro - the "Pro" probably indicates the cabinet style: Provence) which either has some sort of stereo to mono switching option or a provision for future stereo modification.

It does seem, however, that there were early and late versions of the R-20. However, now that I think about it and thanks to the '57 Fisher console catalog that Jonboy55 posted recently, the Medalist II actually debuted in 1957. The "stereo/TV" vs. just "TV" input and the "glued-on blue" vs "printed-on black" may be '57 vs. '58 differences. I'm very curious to see if there's anything different underneath.

1957 Medalist II (note large number of cabinet styles available in '57 and no mention of stereo - which there is in the '58 catalog):

8MedalistII.jpg
 
Last edited:
It's worth noting that the manual for my C800, which was very definitely a 1958 model, only talks about the "TV" setting, no mention of anything to do with stereo - and that's the manual that came with a console with the stereo label on the dial.
 
Same with mine Sam. No mention of stereo in the manual.
Didn't bring it up because he said it is not working and is only a chassis, but he also gave me a Fisher 50 AZ. Not sure what's wrong with it. I haven't even tested the tubes yet, but damn is it heavy.
 
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