My Fisher Electra Resto Begins

[TheRed1]

So I have an Anniversary Series model from the year after Fisher's anniversary with an amp chassis that no one has heard of? Hmm. :scratch2: Have I stumbled upon some sort of FrankenFisher console?

You definitely have a unique console. I don't think I'd call it a FrankenFisher - I'm sure it came from the factory exactly as you found it. It's just another case of Fisher's literature not being very definitive and Avery playing kind of fast and loose with his dates.

I'm sure Fisher's advertising department had to have their catalogs and brochures ready to send out to the dealers by the middle of the year proceeding the actual model year. When the consoles were produced and when they hit the showroom is anyone's guess. (My 1960 Premiere has Jun. 10, 1959 stamped on the back of the faceplate - could be the faceplate's birthday, the TA-600's birthday or the completion date of console. Doesn't really matter, there's always plenty of cake to go around.) Chassis changes within a given model seem to be rather common. The 1960 Custom Electra III came with one of the following three combinations: 510/30-A, 310/SA-16 or 610/30-A. It does seem, based on how many keep turning up, as if the Custom Electra was one of the more popular models and consequently had a fairly large production run. I don't know if they ran out of one chassis and substituted others or if the engineers just used that model as a test bed for making improvements but Fisher sure put the "custom" in Custom Electra.

 

[relaximus]

Red:

I suspect that this particular unit may have been a very early example of the model run. The original owner (the man from whose estate I purchased it from) built his house, where I picked it up, in 1963. The gentleman who was kind enough to email me the schematics also has an E-48, yet the schematics were for a 481-A rather than my 480-A. That 481-A chassis model designation, was perhaps, a mid or late year modification in ramping-up to the E-49 that was introduced the year after mine was produced (according to the information we have thus far). This is, of course, all speculation on my part. I am still very. very new to this and have much yet to learn.

Dave

 

[himm37]

It's alive and currently making music and it sounds absolutely beautiful! A little lacking on the low end, but smooth mids and (somewhat) attenuated highs. Just amazing!!!

More pics to follow after I do a little wire management and find a permanent spot for it in the house. This is definitely a keeper! :thmbsp:

Dave

I believe some console amps purposely rolled off the lower end, to avoid feedback due to the turntable mounted in the same cabinet as the speakers.

 

[TheRed1]

It gets even more complicated: some 1964 Custom Electras had the 481-A. Might be best to just not think about it and enjoy the music.

 

[relaximus]

I believe some console amps purposely rolled off the lower end, to avoid feedback due to the turntable mounted in the same cabinet as the speakers.

himm37:

You may indeed be correct. There are obvious precautions built-in to avoid lower frequencies. The bass control seems to have a rollover frequency around 300-500hz, certainly not boosting anything below ~150hz.

Dave

 

[relaximus]

It gets even more complicated: some 1964 Custom Electras had the 481-A. Might be best to just not think about it and enjoy the music.

Red

Oh, you have to believe, that I am truly enjoying the music and this wonderful piece of audio history. This is definitely my new favorite thing (insert stupid childish giggle here)!

With respect,
Dave

 

[relaximus]

Okay, it is home. It has landed in our dining room between a couple of china cabs. There just was not a spot for it in the living room. As you can see, we are at DefCon 4 in there. The first living room pic is of my youngest son's (to the left) and my wife's (at the right) workstations. The other is of my older son's mess that is to the right of the archway between the living and dining rooms. The den is already full of Hitachi big-screen TV and Harmon-Kardon/Definitive Technology surround sound stuff.

Me == Very Happy

Dave (gonna need a bigger house) in CT

 

[TheRed1]

It's always a tense moment introducing a stray console to the other furniture. I just hope those china cabinets don't gang up on it. The 1960 Custom Electra III I gave to my sister-in-law has recently been evicted from its place in the dining room and sent to sort of a spare room. The interesting thing is that it has been joined by several other pieces of more-or-less 1950's era furniture and looks really good in there. I'm looking after her cats this weekend so perhaps I can grab a picture tomorrow morning.

 

[relaximus]

Red:

Would you (or anyone else) know where to source a replacement/reproduction lid support? Or is there, perhaps, someway to replace the spring or rebuild it somehow. The spring is now too weak to hold the lid open.

Dave

 

[NYListens]

Red:

Would you (or anyone else) know where to source a replacement/reproduction lid support? Or is there, perhaps, someway to replace the spring or rebuild it somehow. The spring is now too weak to hold the lid open.

Dave

You may look through Rockler's website or Constantine's and find something used in fine furniture to replace it.

 

[TheRed1]

If you lid support is intact I'd try to fix it. It's possible that replacing the spring would work but I think that wear on the cam/cam follower is probably more likely the cause and would seem to be much harder to fix. The support on my sister-in-laws had snapped in two so I replaced it with a different style piece of hardware that uses the friction between a nylon washer and a curved, slotted support. The original support seems like it would be vastly superior. I haven't found a source for a similar replacement but I'd be interested if anyone else has.

Pictures from this morning of her Custom Electra III in a re-creation of its natural habitat:

 

[relaximus]

Red:

That is absolutely beautiful! I love the look of the early 60's den that it so dominates.

I noticed, this morning, that I'm getting a very low-volume hum (from the left channel) with the unit on and warmed up, but with the volume control fully attenuated. It's barely audible but definitely there. It sounds like AC line noise, around 60hz. Is this normal or are my transformer caps on their way out? I've tried reversing the polarity of the AC line cord, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Would an AC line filter help?

BTW: I have all of this thread's pics, in their original size, saved. If you feel that any of them would be appropriate for your Fisher Console history thread, please just let me know.

Dave

 

[TheRed1]

NYListens hit the nail on the head with his suggestion to look at Rockler's. This looks pretty close to what we're looking for (toy box lid...I guess they're kind of toy boxes...):

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=410

 

[relaximus]

That is exactly what it looks like!

Thanks to both of you!!!

Dave

 

[NYListens]

Glad to be helpful.

 

[NYListens]

If you lid support is intact I'd try to fix it. It's possible that replacing the spring would work but I think that wear on the cam/cam follower is probably more likely the cause and would seem to be much harder to fix. The support on my sister-in-laws had snapped in two so I replaced it with a different style piece of hardware that uses the friction between a nylon washer and a curved, slotted support. The original support seems like it would be vastly superior. I haven't found a source for a similar replacement but I'd be interested if anyone else has.

Pictures from this morning of her Custom Electra III in a re-creation of its natural habitat:

Great room and the perfect console for it.

 

[dstarr]

I just aquired a Fisher 481-A amp. There is no lack of bass. Maybe the preamp is the culprit. I have been playing mine this last weekend using a Pioneer SX-727 as the preamp with some C-V 417R's. Tubes seem to tame the mids and highs in these speakers. Can someone email me the schematic to this amp?
Thanks,
-Dave

 

[relaximus]

I just aquired a Fisher 481-A amp. There is no lack of bass. Maybe the preamp is the culprit. I have been playing mine this last weekend using a Pioneer SX-727 as the preamp with some C-V 417R's. Tubes seem to tame the mids and highs in these speakers. Can someone email me the schematic to this amp?

Dave

PM me your email addy and I'll send you what I have.

Dave

 

[dstarr]

Thanks Dave! Beautiful, beautiful console. Same to you Red1. Excellent pics too! Very retro!
-Dave

 

[skykng]

NICE find!! Great shape!! Did you find the schematics-svc manual? If so, where? I'm having big trouble finding the papers
on the older brother of yours - the E-46 with the 460-A pwr/amp
and 460-T tuner. Mine needs more work than yours.....
tnx