My first Fisher... way back in the 1950s

[Firedome]

The first Fisher I ever experienced was one owned by my best friend's parents in 1950s suburban Baltimore. They lived directly across the street and had just one child, my friend Scott. His Dad was an IBM salesman during their boom years and doing well as many were in those post war-years. They had a new '58 Country Squire and a ranch house decorated in modern style, all rooms done in modern blonde limed-oak furniture and full of '50s icons like starburst mirrors and colorful glass pieces. In the living room with white wall-to-wall carpet was a blonde wood Fisher console from around 1957. I recall being impressed by the big green "eye" tube, a "The Fisher" logo, and the green birds on both sides of the dial. It had a big speaker behind the 2 lower doors. Here's a pic of the same model, I believe a '57 Custom Electra. The parents liked '50s Exotica: Martin Denny, Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman, Robert Drasnin and similar that they often played on the Fisher. I can't hear any of that great music now without thinking back to those good times, that beautiful Fisher, and my best friend Scott, now gone at age 59 from pancreatic cancer. Bittersweet memories.

[Firedome]

So everyone... what was the first Fisher you ever saw or remember?

My 2nd Fisher was our next-door neighbor's spectacular 1959-ish FIsher separates set consisting of a 400-C preamp, R-200 tuner, and 2 mono amps buried in cabinets where I couldn't see them well. A Weathers turntable, quite large GE component speakers, model unknown, the size of AR-3s. One of the best sounding systems I've ever heard to this day, cementing forever my admiration of Fisher. And when I took care of their 2 cats while they were on vacation I did take the opportunity to play whatever LP they had left on the turntable! lol

[William]

The one and only Fisher I ever had personal contact with was a receiver. It would have been purchased in the early sixties. It's been so long ago I do not remember a model number, but a quick scan on the net shows a Fisher 400 to look like it, or at least similar.

Bill

[Firedome]

Bill I recall when FIsher was transitioning to SS, FIsher 400 receivers were still being sold in the Allied catalog as late as 1968 at very heavy discount for something like $199! (about 1/2 the introductory price). It would have been a smart buy as the early Fisher SS jobs were all Germanuim-based and Fisher was still sort of finding it's way with SS, it was not their best product and Fisher sold out the next year to Emerson (1969).

Today the 400 is valued far more highly than a SS Fisher, and some think the simpler 400's circuit with 7868 outputs makes them superior to the 500/800/1800 series. I agree, and prefer the eye tube to meters too. I bought a restored 400 for my daughter's stereo 10 yrs ago: 400, 2 x JBL-L36, Thorens TD 145. Her speakers and TT were stolen while stored in her detached garage pending a move in Denver several years later, but luckily the 400 which was in the house closet was spared! (pic). Fisher's best receiver imho.