I needed another tube amp like a hole in my head, but..

[cptnCanada]

Got this locally on kijiji in Canada for a decent price. Fisher 500b. The guy I got it from knew nothing about tube equipment, and he probably found it in the trash or something, but aside from the case and brass knob caps, it is actually in fantastic cosmetic condition.

Two of the output tubes have cracked and degassed. I am hoping that was from a bump and not super hot red plating. The previous owner says he did plug it in and it was dead. Wish he didnt. Nothing obvious underneath. All original. It will get a full restore. My first Fisher!

Aside from the RCA 7591's, every other tube is a made in Canada yellow label Westinghouse. I wonder if these were what was supplied in the Canadian units at the time..

 

[Dave451]

Nice find! The wooden case has seen better days, but the chassis looks quite good, particularly underneath. Good luck with the restore. Just finished going through one and have enjoyed listening to it.

 

[cptnCanada]

Thanks! Im looking forward to this one. Yes the case is pretty rough, but i think with some creativity it can be salvaged. Mostly just the veneer and joints that is seperating and the ply a little bit in one of the back corners.

I need to finish my Heathkit aa-32 project before i dig into this. But when I do I'll be posting here as I go.

Enjoyed reading your thread. Lots of good info there for when I tackle this.

 

[audiodon]

That cabinet is a genuine Fisher red mahogany cabinet. It is period correct for the 500-B or 800-B.
I have one for my 500-C because I prefer mahogany over walnut, which later cases predominantly were.

 

[squirrelnest]

Nice find....have fun with the restore....keep us posted.

 

[larryderouin]

Really don't know if FISHER imported gear to Canada or they had a plant there (Doubt it tho). Look for a date code on the Westinghouse tubes and an EIA code. I would think they were NOT original as the original 12ax7's in FISHER gear were either Tele's or Sylvie's in US gear and if they were importing them I don't see any reason why to go cheap on the tubes. Not that the Westies are cheap(meaning less than good), they aren't. I like them more than RCA Black plates in most cases. They can be really nice in the Phono section. Run them thru a tester and see if any are shorted. If not put them in and see what happens after you get a new set of 7591's.

 

[cptnCanada]

Managed to try out 6 of the 12ax7's in my Yaqin phono pre and and all sound strong and quite comparable to my vintage mullards that usually reside in there. I did find one sylvaina tube in the Fisher, 6aq8 spot under that sliding shield. Maybe that is original?

So if they arent factory original in Canadian units it seems some time long ago someone decided to change every tube for some reason. Im ok with that as they add a bit of Canadian vibe to it and they all match.

Any other Canadian Fisher units on this forum? Did you find any Westinghouse tubes in your Fisher?

Here is a side by side to one of my Mullards. Very similar construction.

 

[Patrice B]

It was Tele's, Mullard's and one Sylvania in my X-100-2. Bought in Montréal...

 

[larryderouin]

Little tip. The 6AQ8 gets run real hard in FISHER's. And they run close to $20. US each. A direct replacement is the 6DT8. Cost is $3-$5 US each. I don't use 6aq8's any more in any of my gear and all run fine and I haven't had to replace one yet in 10 years. I did find that my Sansui 1000A (which uses 3 of them) doesn't like a 6DT8 in the MPX'er so I keep a few good 6AQ8's for there.

Larry

 

[cptnCanada]

Good to know. Sounds like a better bet than spending $20 a pop for the 6aq8.

Had some free time tonight to start cleaning up the chassis. Seems to be cleaning up quite nicely. Usuall I just remove the transformers and dump the chassis in simple green, then rust remover and they come out flawless, but the Fisher has some components that would definitely not survive so that is out of the question on the 500.

 

[Patrice B]

Good job, that is clean...!