Concert Grand

[firedome]

Fisher 2) console above...

is one of their nicer units from the transition era, with a Dual 1009 or 1019 (?), it's hard to see, mid 60s turntable, and it could still be tube as the amp panel resembles the X-100-C, which was the last component tube integrated amp, but also is similar in looks to the earliest transistor receivers ala T-220 etc. Very nice unit regardless, but particularly worthy if a 7591 tube amp, which most of the last ones were.

 

[firedome]

addendum...

some of the last Fisher tube amps also had 7868 tubes, no longer made last time I looked, and pricey for NOS. New 7591s are made in Russia now. Forget which the X-100-C used.

 

[tolivac]

I have a Pilot receiver that I rescued from the Electrical-electronics dumpster at the dump site where I take my trash-a Pilot 620.Has the 6BM8 tubes in the output stage-the 9 pin tubes that have the triode driver and beam power output in one tube.Have also seen these tubes in Ampex 600 tubed Rec/Pb amps-one was the erase bias oscillator-the other the audio output.Haven't tried the Pilot yet.It appears to be a nice unit-other than the faded radio dial.
Fender used 7591 tubews in some of their guitar amps.Lowrey used those tubes in some of their older organs.Fisher,Pioneer-and many others used these tubes in amps and receivers.Compact replacement for a 6L6.
Yes,can go along with you there-would LOVE to feed some of those Plasti-trim and Med cabinets to a hungry trash truck.Bet the plastic trim would make such a delightful crunching,cracking, and popping sound as the packer blade pushes it into the body.Go to "Classic Refuse Trucks" and one of the videos shows a McNealius manual side load body on a Peterbuilt chassis taking on an old RPTV!Great crunching as the packer ram and precrush panel go to work!Took several pack cycles to get it down.Would have loved to save the Fresnell lens panel-screen!Great burning glass!!

 

[ovrphil]

Blonde ! Maganvox Imperial Tube Console - $1600 (Tyler)

Cool unit, but …choking on asking price…back taxes due?

FIREDOME - Roger, this cracked faceplate is nearly as broken up as the one I received from you after the Post Office gorillas played Dodge-Ball with it.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ele/5027125180.html

 

[tolivac]

Choking on the price,too!Least it was restored.

 

[firedome]

Resurrecting this console thread! Today's save!.......

Picked up off the curb, one Fisher Metropolitan console today, identical to the one in reply #16 above, and just 2 blocks from my house! I NEVER go that particular route, but for some reason today I did - fate?? This poor console was sitting by the curb, the wooden speaker grills kicked in by some reprobate, the BSR turntable arm completely severed from the plinth, the sorry cabinet beat up and not at all restorable imo. I knew it was far too late to be a tube model, probably a '68 or '59, and a near BOL model, but it looked so forlorn, I felt sorry for it, so picked it up. An hour later the receiver was removed and on my kitchen table for cleaning, the derelict cabinet at my own curb. These are some of the last US-made Fishers, the sell out to Emerson Electric around this time soon reduced them to junk. Hopefully she will sing again.

 

[ovrphil]

BOL, eh? The TT WAS rather miserly, but I'm glad you chose to salvage it. I'm probably crazy(well, crazier), but I like that cabinet and would have tried anything to get it looking good again. Ok, I'm dreaming.

Keep us posted(?)with the restore.

Phil

 

[ovrphil]

An Imperial - RESTORED Magnavox Imperial Console Stereo w/Tu

Since we're on the topic...

ad:"Restored 1960s vintage retro french provincial mid century modern MCM antique console credenza cabinet AM/FM stereo radio with turntable record player phonograph. Excellent condition, everything works perfectly, a few light scratches and scuffs on top but only visible under bright light. Two 15" woofers and two horns, great sound! Comes with adapter/connector for iPod, MP3, or portable CD player. Measures 54L 33H 19D. IF THIS LISTING IS ACTIVE, THE ITEM IS STILL AVAILABLE, I WILL DELETE IMMEDIATELY WHEN SOLD."

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/5390695693.html

 

[ovrphil]

ONe more -Vintage Magnavox Radio Phono Windsor Model 305 Ser

Vintage Magnavox Radio Phono Windsor Model 305 Series Rare Console - $1500 (Bucyrus, Ohio)

http://mansfield.craigslist.org/for/5378311475.html

 

[firedome]

those are 2 beauties!

both cabinets are in gorgeous condition! Both high, but truly crazy price on the last one! The Dallas stereo unit above is particularly nice sounding, I had a very similar model about 10 years ago and it performed very well.

The Fisher Metropolitan was the BOL true console for '69, they did have a couple table-top type units priced below it. Here's a link to the brochure for 1969, fun to look at:

http://s408.photobucket.com/user/torskdoc/library/1969 FISHER CONSOLE BROCHURE?sort=3&page=1

The models above had Garrard and Dual as you went up the line. If the cabinet on mine was better I might have tried to resuscitate it, but alas it is truly beyond redemption. After the mid-late '60s stereo cabinet quality declined precipitously. The entire bottom of the '69 I just picked up is cheap particle board and coming apart, probably due to damp garage or basement storage. Use of truly crappy and foul looking plastic moldings on speaker grilles and trim, also became common by the '70s.

Well I've just learned of a ca. 1965 Maggie Astro Sonic in Early American here in Bingo with supposedly a very nice cabinet, so I may just have to check it out!

 

[ovrphil]

Magnavox Windsor

Hi Roger - particle board! Ugh, no wonder you walked away. It's hard enough to restore some of these consoles if they're a faux finish, as well.

Speaking of Windsors :
and skip 1:02 to 1:32 to get to the better music. No stereo then but what would it take to incorporate an fm multiplex adaptor. Wrong site to ask this question.

Astrosonics - solid state, right? Did those use germaniums?

 

[firedome]

Maganvox Windsor...

was not familar with those as I never paid much attention to most mono consoles... truly impressive, it had Stephens speakers and cost around $800! Stepehns had a reputation on par with Altec &c. in their time. However little was known about tuned port or acoustic suspension enclosure design back then, much less Theil parameters or other modern speaker physics principles, so audio performance was somewhat lacking, but it increased rapidly in the 1950s as these things became adapted.

One mono unit of the 1940s that I AM familiar with is the 1946 RCA Berkshire, probably the ultimate set ever made. Priced at around $3000 to 4000, depending on style. The beautiful Breakfront model Berkshire cabinets were made by Baker, who also made custom reproduction furniture for the White House!! (See pic: the electronics were totally concealed in the lower cabinet, opening the left door revealed the speaker, the right door the radio receiver). Electronics comprised 3 massive chrome-plated units: separate amplifier (4 x 6L6GC outputs for 50 watts) and power supply chassis, and radio receiver (with very early FM!) chassis. The speaker was the spectacular 15" Harry Olsen designed LC-1. Some Berkshire models included an early projection TV as well! Only about 250 were made and of course are super sought after by radio collectors today, although almost never for sale.

 

[tolivac]

Olsen/RCA LC-1 speaker----we are using these TODAY at the VOA site for monitoring program material.In RCA cabinets sold to radio stations for monitor use.Also the Wash DC old studios used these speakers.They were driven by Crown amps.D300-so far no problems.Magnavox Windsor-RCA Berhshire-the ultimate console Hi-Fi systems in those days.They were built well-and made to last-the tubes were run very conservative-Had a Masco PA amp that used 4 6L6 for 100W out.My fathers system had Stephen 15" speakers in homemade cabinets-helpted him build them when I was a kid-mostly "hold this or get that"They were 2 way coax speakers.Sounded good when driven by a Dynaco St70 amp and PAS preamp.Yes,RCA built FM transmitters to broadcast to these and other radios.Used frequency multiplication in the power stages.4-125 tubes-then 5762 in the finals.5Kw.The exciter had an output like at 45-50Mhz depending on final frequency.All tubed-Phasitron modulator and a mechanical AFC system.If on of the servo 6L6 tubes shorted-would cause the tune motor to drift up or down-if up your transmitter was on the Aircraft bands!!Really funky transmitters to work on.But they worked.Competitor to the lower frequency Armstrong bands.If that person that has the Windsor unit-hope he realizes he will need a phono preamp if he wants to use a mag cartridge in the TT.Oh yes-those RCA transmitters finals were grounded grid-and they announced that fact with a fancy "GG" symbol-logo in chrome on the front panel!Later RCA abandoned the GG system and other transmitter makers used it-but RCA still used the "GG" circuit in their lo and hi band TV transmitters.Fixed a few of these!

 

[ovrphil]

Just mentioning VOA reminds me of how great it was, at one time, to listen to shortwave.

 

[tolivac]

The VOA plant I work at is the LAST one in the US-the SW broadcasts are still going strong.Many folks don't realize people overseas-the audience this site broadcasts to-don't have the "conveniences" of smartphones,internet and such.But they do have an AM-FM-SW radio.SW broadcasting knows no bounderies-our audience this plant goes to is Africa,South America,and Cuba.I can't give the frequencies here-but you can look them up in the World Radio TV Handbook-available at bookstores,Amazon,or your local library.These are published yearly.They contain listings of SW frequencies that are used by the US adn other countries.Its still very popular.This site is using transmitters that are 65,50,and 30 yrs old.Keeping them going is my job!!!

 

[ovrphil]

Rex - Myself...I learned about your job earlier, since hanging out here for three years. Does your broadcast plant have a website online showing some of the old equipment and tubes? I still sw-listen, but not actively. World Radio and TV Handbook was my favorite - sorry they're online only now. I still have a couple older, last published issues - anyways, not to get too off topic started here, which are stereo consoles..thanks for the reminder that they went online along with Popular Communications and other sister pubs. I'll need a newer receiver to get all the other things, besides standard broadcasts like VOA, to pick up ship, police, etc -since so many have moved to other frequencies years ago.

Phil

 

[firedome]

Had no idea

that VOA still existed... very interesting.

So back to consoles - well, yesterday we went to check out the Maggie Astro Sonic that I mentioned above, and found out that folks have absolutely no concept of periods of design... unfortunately it was not Early American as was told to me, but Italian Provincial, not something the wife would permit in the house. Pity, because it was in decent shape, worked except for a slipping turntable drive wheel, and essentially free. It'd have to go in the LR, since we don't have the room to store it, so a No-Go proposition. I advised them to list it as Free on CL and hopefully it will be saved by somebody, but SS units still seem to be a hard sell, unless they are of MCM design.

 

[ovrphil]

Too bad

Many of the Italian Provincials got really e-e-uuuu-yoo-gli. But here's one that I wouldn't say "NO" to : from the Stromberg-Carlson brochure, 1962:

 

[firedome]

that IS a pretty one...

am not opposed to IP per se, at least the more restrained ones similar to the one above. Some got rather over the top when plastic moldings became widely used as a cost cutting measure. There's tons of IP decor around here, as the big shoe factories attracted a huge influx of leather workers from Italy in the early 1900s. Still lots of stucco and vino trellises in the North side of Endicott here. When they'd get off the boat at Ellis Island the 1st thing they'd say upon landing was "Which way E-J?" (the gigantic Endicott-Johnson shoe factory, biggest in the world).

Anyhow, nowadays our den, dining room, and BR decor is transitioning from MCM to Early American of the 1950s variety, what I call Fauxlonial: maple hardwoods, copper, brick, eagles, weathervanes, and such... colonial kitschy and lots of fun - that stuff was everywhere when I was growing up in the '50/60s and still warms the cockles of my heart. For me it's very nostalgic and nice stuff ala Ethan Allan can still be picked up reasonably. So I'm looking for just the right Maple finish EA style console in mint condition. It'll show up eventually!

 

[firedome]

gotta comment on your avatar Phil!

Secret Agent with Ian McGoohan (RIP) was BY FAR my most favorite show of the 60s!! I remember recording the theme off of TV on a little battery powered tape recorder, and later on bought the Johhny Rivers 45! I can still hum that harpsichord theme that always played in the background in SA. My 2ND favorite show was The Prisoner. Loved his Mini and Lotus Super 7 and Mini Moke in those shows!

Back to consoles, if anyone sees a nice Early American style console in the Northeast please post it here in Shoppers Square!