I can understand it if the console cabinet is unsalvageable, but to destroy a console just because it's FUGLY or it doesn't fit in with your design scheme doesn't really set well with me. These were built as Furniture, sometimes more often than not the centerpiece of the original owners living room or rumpus room/audio room. And usually the wives picked out the style. French Provincial was, at the time your '60 Premiere was built, the styling of older folks who would have bought these consoles. Younger buyers would have bought separates like the TA-600 receiver or an integrated amp and tuner, or even a couple of 100 amps with a 400c preamp and a tuner. By the Mid 60's French provincial and Italian Provincial were still big hitters, but modern or contemporary was gaining in popularity, even as consoles were getting smaller and cheaper bult. The HEYDAY of FISHER MONO Consoles was in the Mid-Late 50's and the STEREO CONSOLES HEYDAY was DURING the Kennedy, and the Early part of the Johnson administrations. By 68 consoles were made of cheaper materials, smaller and even more gaudy in aesthetics. Spanish Provincial was BIG! But the decline of the console was firmly entrenched by early 70's with the influx of Japanese Audio gear, and the fact that the people that bought big consoles in the late 50's didn't now want a large wall hogging piece of furniture in the living room. TV was KING!
If you MUST gut a intact console, put the cabinet up on CL to be re-purposed as a TV Stand, a Blanket Chest, Hope chest, line it with cedar for storage of delicate linens or something.
Approx 1/2 of my consoles are French or Italian provincial and are all intact with working electronics. Most all of them are in the basement but they are available to use. The one console I WILL NOT put in the basement is my '63 Executive in Italian Provincial. It's the centerpiece of my living room, and handles all audio chores with grace, and poise. I DO rotate it into my Dining room and swap in the '65 Futura (contemporary) or the 610/560 combo, at times. My 58 C-800 Contemporary MONO stays in the dining room. The '51 Coronet stays in my bedroom along with the 64 Custom Electra in Modern.
And all in a 1100 sqft rancher.
BTW; I approve of your cabinets for the 202-T and the SA-16. Making the Boxes for the speakers was Great Idea. Way better than most folks do.
