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Fisher Ambassador VII

2

2DoubleFives

New Member
I am looking to potentially purchase this Fischer Ambassador VII console. I am curious what others think about the asking price ($500). It appears to be in very good shape, although the turntable is not working. Here is the information:

Fisher Ambassador VII Console (1965) (Model A-690)
Chassis: 59-T, 59-A
18 Tubes, 9 Transistors/65 Watts
TT: Dual 1009
*W/R2R: Fisher Model L22 -
A-690-W (Contemporary/Walnut)
Radio works - turntable needs repair, could just be a belt. Exterior Perfect condition, walnut well taken care of.

Thank you for your feedback!
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Beautiful unit. The Dual is idler drive, no belt. I'm sure it will need cleaning and re-lube to work properly. I don't know what the market for consoles is in your area, but if you intend to keep it, I would think that it's not a horrible price, but no scroe either.
 
ronrico said:
Beautiful unit. The Dual is idler drive, no belt. I'm sure it will need cleaning and re-lube to work properly. I don't know what the market for consoles is in your area, but if you intend to keep it, I would think that it's not a horrible price, but no scroe either.
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Thanks! I definitely plan to keep it - and refurb it. I am not opposed to replacing the TT - and who knows, it could be beyond repair. The console market is kind of pricey here (Minneapolis area), so the asking price isn't terrible, but I wasn't sure where this one fell in the market.
 
An original Dual 1009 will outlive us all....well me anyway, I was born ten years before that model first appeared. I got three of them up an running (the second was very well used) and was talked out of the first two. The third one ain't going anywhere.

It has both auto spindles. Keep the table - use the table.
 
That would be a keeper for me also, especially with the
fisher gear in it. Let us know if you get it.
 
Many consoles have a 'dated' look in their design; nobody wants Italianate or Hollywood Regency. This one has a great mid-century modern look to it, which (to me) makes it a keeper.

As others have noted, the biggest problem with old Duals is hardened grease. If you can disassemble and reassemble something successfully, and can clean out and relube all of the moving parts, you should be good to go in a couple of hours work on the table.
 
Very nice timeless piece with that styling. Grab it if this for you to keep for sure as it will be worth restoring. As stated above as a Dual it probably just needs the usual grease job etc. Check all the tubes. I went ahead and had my tech go through the amp and tuner/preamp on mine and it didn't cost all that much after I did some of the grunt work and provided it to him after removing it. While he had the electronics I recapped the speakers. I have some Fisher XP10 speakers in the wings to add on to mine for even better sound.
 
Most of those Fishers use solid state power amps with germanium output transistors. The outputs can be rather fragile and are getting quite pricey and hard to find. If the unit has not been electronically restored, plan on doing that, at least the power amp for sure to protect the outputs. Turntable will need the usual clean, relube, etc. That being said, it's a very nice console.
 
I have a Fisher 500T from about the same time frame (uses same knobs as the Ambassador) that I recapped and it sounds fantastic. Not as warm as a tube amp but just as detailed and very enjoyable. Benefits greatly from a recap though.

I love the rich 60’s styling of the faceplate. It’ll be a conversation piece you can be proud of and should provide god sound quality.
Cool TT.
 
The power amplifier circuit used in this console is very unusual: it's a tube/transistor hybrid using 1/2 12AX7 voltage amp followed by a (very rare and expensive) 6HU8/ELL80 dual pentode with the two sections paralleled in a cathode follower configuration (a brute force approach) driving an interstage transformer coupled to the four PNP (very likely germanium) output power transistors DC coupled to the speakers. If these transistors ever fail (and sometimes they do) finding a substitute working in this amp would be really challenging and/or expensive. Dual trurntables can allways be fixed and there are plenty of ressources for parts and technical assistance on the web.
Considering the wonderful cosmetic condition and nice styling of this console made by a highly reputable and historic Hi-Fi manufacturer (THE FISHER) I think 500$ is not an unrealistic price, though very close to the upper limit.
 
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