Fisher 500 B

Fisher 500 B

This is a Fisher 500 B that my dad bought used out of the Washington Post classifieds in 1978.  I went with him to pick it up along with a pair of AR2a speakers and a Garrard Type 'A' Turntable.  He had it serviced at Audio Associates at Tyson's Corner and I have used it once in a while.  It still sounds great!  The On/Off switch failed when I tried it this year so I installed a 'jumper' and now it is on when plugged in.  About ten years ago these sold for $75 or so but now I have seen them for much recently after a good review in Stereophile magazine.  This review is actually for a 'C' but they are similar.  Some seem to prefer the earlier and simpler 400 models.

From the Stereophile Review

"A Fisher 500-C sold for $369 in 1964. That seems like chump change today, but in 1964, $2368 bought you a brand spanking new Ford Mustang (the 1964 New York Auto Show was the pony car's debut). Collector-condition Mustangs now trade for between $10,000 and $15,000. A mint, low-hours 500-C rarely goes for more than $600.

Where do you find a 500-C? Well, if it weren't for the Internet or a national marketplace (Pierre Omidar's eBay), these trusty old soldiers would be gathering yet more layers of dust in grandma's attic or the neighborhood thrift shop. But they're plentiful and shamefully affordable. Current market prices of functional 500-Cs run from $175 to $600. The top of the range is reserved for cosmetically mint and electronically restored units. But you'll be buying blind and deaf, so caveat emptor."