KEN FISCHER R.I.P.

robert · Post by **robert** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:46 am

5150loveeddie · Post by **5150loveeddie** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:52 am

cole · Post by **cole** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:58 am

From what I have heard through the grapevine Ken was a gentleman and a consumate tone guru.

Sad news. He will surely be missed very much by the music community. A true legend in his own time.

Cole

JimiJames · Post by **JimiJames** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:04 pm

His research and knowledge was priceless to the amp community.
He has passed a small flame from the torch to all of us.

guitar007 · Post by **guitar007** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 2:07 pm

'Sad indeed. I wonder what guitar amplifier Heaven is like? R.I.P. Ken.

antosimoni · Post by **antosimoni** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:17 am

a great man...

Guitar Adjuster · Post by **Guitar Adjuster** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:49 pm

They have started a fund for his mother if anyone it interested. There are links on the Gear Page and Amp Garage.

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:39 pm

April Vintage Guitar has a great article about Ken and you can send your stories about Ken to trainwreckamps@yahoo.com
There are plans to bulid a Ken Fischer Memorial amp and to auction it off,the proceeds going to Ken's mother and his family.
I told my Ken Fischer story here and he was very excited to hear about my Black Flag Super Bass that I had and he applauded me for not swapping out the transformers,as had been suggested to me.
He took the time tolisten to you,and treated you as an equal,I felt like I had gone on an amazing journey with him over the phone and spoke for at least an hour it seemed,we discussed his illness,as i was just starting nursing school,I wished I knew more medically to help him then,but he had been to countless doctors and had every test.
I have met many patients with terminal illnesses and Ken remains among the very few people whom I've talked with that had such a great outgoing spirit and didn't feel sorry for himself.I recieve inspiration from people like
Ken in this world,there are very few,my life was made richer by his being here..God Bless you Ken and your family,thanks for being the guy you were.
Here is my story from an earlier post:
Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:59 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I told my Ken Fischer story in the other amps section one time.
Living in Pennsylvania,the tri-state area,Jersey,Philadelphia,and Maryland were all close.Ken lived in New Jersey,was famous from the Ampeg days with Dennis Kagan,but Ken took everything much further.
In fact George M. is the only other person who in recent memory,reminds me of Ken.
When I had my Music Ground Marshalls in Pa.,I had loads of questions about the early Super Leads,Basses,and my JTM45,that the tube amp book couldn't answer.I obtained Ken's number from in the amp world,and had a very memorable long phone call with him.Since I was in nursing school at the time,I tried giving him some suggestions for the horroble,energy sapping disease that he had.He could barely muster to get out of bed and talk on the phone many days,so any time he gave you was golden.His famous Trainwreck amps were the premier boutique amps ,when there were no boutique amps,other than Mesa Boogie perhaps,but they aren't amps to me.,
He was the nicest person to talk to,very patient,and he never made you feel technically inadequate.I asked him a lot about my 1967 JTM Super Bass that Flames has recreated recently,and also my JTM45.Ken loved old Marshalls and had a photographic memory about their circuits and what to do to check things and how to get the best out of a Marshall.
Ken also loved Voxes and his beloved Trainwreck Liverpool Express was heavily a Vox tribute,way before Matchless,ect.
The amp/music world has lost a truly great inovator and who kept his hand still in the business as much as he could with his terrible debilitating illness,which he must have contracted in the early manufacturing days,from some type of industrial exposure.
Ken spoke with me over an hour or so on the phone,he was fascinated by my background,living in England and visiting J&T Marshall's early shop,which I told him all about.
The tube amp book is filled with Ken's circuit innovators,and every amp builder on this forum owes a debt to Ken for the path he blazed,the aluminum chassis,his Marshall circuit mods,he as I said loved Voxes and when I obtained my beloved Jennings Vox AC15 he was excited about that amp,and we discussed the EF86 circuit in that amp,which I personally love.An aquaintance we knew in Penn.,actually went to Ken's house in I think it was Red Bank,N.J. and conducted a long interview with Ken about all of his history and his Trainwrecks,it was published in Vintage Guitar at the time and I hope they reprint it as a tribute,with his passing.
Thanks Ken,for being a true innovator and all around nice guy,you will be sorely missed.

yngwie308

cole · Post by **cole** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:22 pm

Well said Dave...thanks for the great story.

Cole

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:45 pm

You are quite welcome,I must admit i was pretty choked up and my eyes were blurred with tears whem I was writing that.I am always reminded on a daily basis at work that we should all treasure every day that we are given,and live that day to the fullest with the ones we love.
yngwie308

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:32 pm

You are so right.