• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Console Dream Come True

Congrats! That's a beautiful pair. As the weather is clearing up, I'm going to be getting back to the refurb of my C800 very shortly.

Now you just need to find a late-period C800 to pair with the C810 instead of the extension speaker for the really crazy stereo setup that Avery apparently intended... :D

The record cabinet apparently did exist. I showed my mother that ad one day and she swears up and down that she's seen one of those at some point in her life.
 
Excellent! I'm glad you found what you really wanted - and big kudos to Larry for passing the lead on to you. AK in action. :thmbsp:
 
Sam Cogley said:
Now you just need to find a late-period C800 to pair with the C810 instead of the extension speaker for the really crazy stereo setup that Avery apparently intended... :D
Click to expand...

How's this for crazy: I can use the C-810 with its big 15" Jensen as a center channel and the identical triple 8s in the 510 and the 560 as a stereo pair. Or maybe not. Somehow I get the feeling that might be a Fisher too far for my wife. I think I'll fall back to plan A.

560.jpg


C810SpeakersA.jpg


Sam, I recently came across this old post showing an R-20 in a Contemporary with "Medalist II" on the dial. Looks like you weren't the first one to do an R-20 transplant from a Medalist II into a Contemporary cabinet.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=127266

I pulled out the R-30S and there isn't a single original tube on it. Found a mix of mostly American made tubes - RCA/Sylvania/Philco. The one kind of odd discovery was a Japanese made Ratheon 6DT8 in one of the ECC85/6AQ8 sockets. Is that a correct substitution? The radio seems to work just fine.

I don't have a schematic for the R-30S but it appears to be very similar to the 610-ST. The R-30S has the additional EM-84 tuning eye and a pair of EF86/6267s in place of the 610-ST's EC92/6AB4s in the V7 & V8 sockets. Otherwise it is tube for tube identical:

Code: 
     610    R-30S

V1   ECH81  ECH81
V2   ECC85  ECC85
V3   ECC85  ECC85
V4   6BJ6   6BJ6
V5   6BJ6   6BJ6
V6   6AU6   6AU6
V7   EC92   EF86
V8   EC92   EF86
V9   ECC81  ECC81
V10  ECC83  ECC83
V11  EL84   EL84
V12  EL84   EL84
V13  EZ81   EZ81
V14  -----  EM84

R-30S-Top-A.jpg


R-30S-Underside.jpg
 
TheRed1 said:
How's this for crazy: I can use the C-810 with its big 15" Jensen as a center channel and the identical triple 8s in the 510 and the 560 as a stereo pair. Or maybe not. Somehow I get the feeling that might be a Fisher too far for my wife. I think I'll fall back to plan A.

560.jpg


C810SpeakersA.jpg


Sam, I recently came across this old post showing an R-20 in a Contemporary with "Medalist II" on the dial. Looks like you weren't the first one to do an R-20 transplant from a Medalist II into a Contemporary cabinet.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=127266

I pulled out the R-30S and there isn't a single original tube on it. Found a mix of mostly American made tubes - RCA/Sylvania/Philco. The one kind of odd discovery was a Japanese made Ratheon 6DT8 in one of the ECC85/6AQ8 sockets. Is that a correct substitution? The radio seems to work just fine.

I don't have a schematic for the R-30S but it appears to be very similar to the 610-ST. The R-30S has the additional EM-84 tuning eye and a pair of EF86/6267s in place of the 610-ST's EC92/6AB4s in the V7 & V8 sockets. Otherwise it is tube for tube identical:

Code: 
     610    R-30S

V1   ECH81  ECH81
V2   ECC85  ECC85
V3   ECC85  ECC85
V4   6BJ6   6BJ6
V5   6BJ6   6BJ6
V6   6AU6   6AU6
V7   EC92   EF86
V8   EC92   EF86
V9   ECC81  ECC81
V10  ECC83  ECC83
V11  EL84   EL84
V12  EL84   EL84
V13  EZ81   EZ81
V14  -----  EM84

R-30S-Top-A.jpg


R-30S-Underside.jpg
Click to expand...

Anyone else thinking 'the beginning of a kick-ass home theater'? Just hang a flat-screen on the wall above the Fisher and invest in a good 5.1 or 7.1 preamp/processor...

-D
 
Carter. The 6dt8 is a direct sub for the 6AQ8. And at 1/6th the price. The only place it appears not to be synergistic is in the multiplex circuit of my Sansui 1000A.

Larry
 
I sat down last night in front of the computer - starting with only the home address - and eventually tracked down the obituary of the Contemporary II's original owner. This is now the fourth Fisher console I have found originally purchased by a man with an interesting military background:

1960 Fisher Premiere - Air Force Colonel, flew B-17s over Germany in WWII. Post-war SAC HQ and White House duty. Guitar player in a dance combo before the war.

1959 510 Consolette - Navy Lieutenant, combat artist among the first ashore on D-Day. Also documented Iwo Jima, NASA astronaut recovery and Vietnam War.

1963 Commander's Console - Navy Commander, pilot, pioneer typhoon chaser 1946-47. Stationed aboard USS Midway in the early 50s, flew secret reconnaissance missions over China. Involved with the Space Program in the late 50s. VIP pilot - flew with guys like Doolittle and Lindbergh looking over his shoulder.

1959 Contemporary II + 560 - Navy bomber pilot WWII, pacific theater. Post-war started his own radar company.

It almost seems as if Fisher consoles were standard issue, especially in the Navy.
 
TheRed1 said:
I sat down last night in front of the computer - starting with only the home address - and eventually tracked down the obituary of the Contemporary II's original owner. This is now the fourth Fisher console I have found originally purchased by a man with an interesting military background:

1960 Fisher Premiere - Air Force Colonel, flew B-17s over Germany in WWII. Post-war SAC HQ and White House duty. Guitar player in a dance combo before the war.

1959 510 Consolette - Navy Lieutenant, combat artist among the first ashore on D-Day. Also documented Iwo Jima, NASA astronaut recovery and Vietnam War.

1963 Commander's Console - Navy Commander, pilot, pioneer typhoon chaser 1946-47. Stationed aboard USS Midway in the early 50s, flew secret reconnaissance missions over China. Involved with the Space Program in the late 50s. VIP pilot - flew with guys like Doolittle and Lindbergh looking over his shoulder.

1959 Contemporary II + 560 - Navy bomber pilot WWII, pacific theater. Post-war started his own radar company.

It almost seems as if Fisher consoles were standard issue, especially in the Navy.
Click to expand...



Fascinating. That was a great generation and a time when American made meant something.
 
Hi
That is a nice outfit, I am green with envy :yes:. Congrats. I have a request, if you find "any info" on this I would really like to have it. I have the chassis (R-30-S) in a different cabinet and I cannot find anything on it I have looked everwhere I can think of but it seems to have no history :sigh: . It really plays well and has lotts of bass (which I like). :music: Mine has the RC-121 mk 2 changer also. I had to replace the idler ( I got it from Gary at VM) it plays very good :music: . So if you have any info or find any info I would really like to buy it (or copies) from you :yes:.
Thanks
Joe
 
Hey, Joe. Welcome to AudioKarma. Any possibility of posting a photo or two of yours? I'm curious to see what your Contemporary II looks like. Which cabinet do you have? Mine is the less expensive mahogany cabinet but I'm not complaining. Of the Fisher woods/finishes that I have seen up close - walnut, fruitwood, maple and mahogany - I think I prefer the mahogany. Here is a photo contrasting the mahogany of my '59 "stereo companion" 560 (bottom) with the walnut of my '59 Series 510 (top):

M-vs-W.jpg


This is all I have on the Contemporary II - from the '59 catalog. If you'd like a high-res scan just PM me your email address. I'm always happy to share whatever I've got (in keeping with the AudioKarma philosophy). If I come across an R-30S schematic I'll let you know. There was apparently one that was for sale by AK member mrbruce but he said he sold it a while back.

Contemporary-II.jpg


Have you seen the very clean but unrestored R-30S chassis that Grand Canyon Tube Radio in Arizona has for sale for $388? Mine is almost in as good condition. If I really spent some serious time detailing mine I might be able to get it to look like theirs. I've been waiting for some decent weather to drag the cabinet outside and start refinishing it.

I took off the speaker cloth and subjected it to some serious washing. It smells 100% better and the stain is almost completely gone. I'm not sure how much more time I want to spend to trying to get it perfect. For my purposes it's probably good enough. This is the first time I've tried this with Fisher's grill cloth and I was sure I would ruin it but it has proved to be surprisingly tough stuff. I just made sure to staple it back in place while it is wet so it doesn't shrink. Coincidentally, all of my Fisher consoles have the same grill cloth which is a pretty jazzy pattern with sort of burgundy/brown vertical threads and light cream (maybe once white) horizontal threads interspersed with occasional silver metallic threads. I wonder if anyone, anywhere is sitting on a couple of bolts of this stuff not realizing that there is a potential, if somewhat limited, market for it.
 
I totally missed this thread before, so I'm glad it was revived. Congrats TheRed1, you definitely deserved to get this. :thmbsp: Being the selfish person that I am, I grabbed a copy of the pic, of the underside of the 30-A. :D I've been looking for a clean pic like that for awhile, to help me restore my 510-STs, converted into 30-As. :smoke:
 
I love the story and I love the pieces. Beautiful. This is really the epitome of why I come to Audiokarma - it's great to get help when I have questions about restoring something, but the stories you guys have about coming across the gear of your dreams is motivation to always keep an out - and not just for myself, either. Thanks so much for sharing.
 
The weather here was beautiful today so I dragged the Contemporary II out on to the patio and started sanding through the old finish. I was worried that I might sand through the veneer after having a slight mishap with the 560. While I was cleaning it I caught a thread from a rag under some loose veneer and started to pull up a small strip. It was easy to glue back down but I was alarmed by how thin it is. Fortunately the Contemporary II's veneer is much thicker - 1/16 or 3/32". I was able to sand past all but a very few of the deepest dings.

At first I was going to just do the top which had the most damage. It came out looking so nice I figured the sides would look shabby in comparison so I did them, too. I figured, what the heck, might as well do the front trim since there were several good dings in it. Now the poor thing looks naked - like a shorn sheep. I put the speaker board back in to try to make it look less pitiful. I think I'll use Zar stain again since I had very good results using it on the Motorola Drexel Declaration cabinet.

2-2.jpg


4-1.jpg


8-2.jpg


11.jpg


9.jpg
 
Did you ever think of using oil instead of stain.
I'm mentioning that, because with a beautiful piece like yours, oil would be very nice.
Usually people use stain on cheap wood product to mimic expensive wood finish.
If you decide on oil, try Danish Oil that contains no additives. It is ideal on furniture and kitchenware.
A good brand is Tried & True available at Lee Valley.
Then, you can finish with 2 or three coat of high quality beeswax.
Just a though, but either way, you will still have a fabulous piece of history in your hand.:thmbsp:
 
That is just so incredibly beautiful, and what good fortune it ended up with the person it deserved to be with! I walked into a furniture store on Christmas Eve last year, after a few minutes the man took me into the garage bay in the back and showed me the set I've craved for the last two years, after having to pass up the first one I found two years ago. It's the French Provincial Armoire Stereo Theatre for 1971 from Magnavox. You could have knocked me over with a feather.

You certainly have a lot of patience with that refinishing job, I'm sure it will glow like a new penny when you're done!
 
I've got mixed feelings here. It sanded down nice, and the new finish will be gorgeous, but I really liked the authentic original look....

Of course I realize this will never be in the antique furniture trade where refinishishing sharply decreases value. These items have no value in that market, and will not in the future I don't imagine.
 
moinau said:
Did you ever think of using oil instead of stain.
Click to expand...
I don't have any experience using oil but I figure it would darken the wood and highlight the grain. While I'm sure that would look very nice with the mahogany veneer, I'm trying to match the factory finish that I've left in the sections that would be very difficult to sand.

I also have the matching "stereo companion" that I probably won't refinish since it is in acceptable condition. Plus, its veneer is so thin that I would be afraid of sanding right through it. My biggest concern is matching the stain color to the existing finish. I'd like to do a better job than I did on the Motorola. I wasn't too far off but it wasn't a perfect match either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom