Description
Fisher Gold Bug Metal Detector: A Real Gold Machine at an Honest Price
Most "gold detectors" near three hundred dollars are coin machines with a gold sticker. The Fisher Gold Bug is not that. It is a purpose-built 19 kHz prospecting machine from the family that carries one of the most respected names in gold detecting, and it exists for one job: hearing the small, low-conductivity gold that ordinary detectors walk straight over.
Why the Gold Bug
Every dealer pushes you to the Gold Bug Pro and the Gold Bug 2, and those are superb machines we also carry. But the base Gold Bug is the quiet value of the family, and almost nobody gives it a real product page, let alone an honest argument. Here it is: you get the same 19 kHz sensitivity philosophy, a 2-digit target ID with audio and visual feedback and depth estimation, and a 5 in (13 cm) search coil as standard equipment. That small coil is not a compromise; in the places small gold actually hides, in trash-littered tailings and tight bedrock cracks, a small coil separates targets a big coil smears together. It also makes the Gold Bug a sneaky-good relic tool for iron-infested homesites.
If you want continuous ground readout and broader all-purpose duty, step to the Gold Bug Pro. If sub-gram gold is your obsession, the 71 kHz Gold Bug 2 is the specialist. But if you want to find out whether gold prospecting is your hobby without a four-figure commitment, this is the machine we hand people.
Specifications
| Spec | Fisher Gold Bug |
|---|---|
| Operating frequency | 19 kHz |
| Purpose | Gold prospecting; strong on small relics |
| Search coil | 5 in (13 cm), standard |
| Target ID | 2-digit numeric with depth estimation |
| Feedback | Audio and visual target response |
| Design | Lightweight, ergonomic |
| Built | Fisher Research Labs (First Texas Products), Made in the USA |
What's included
- Fisher Gold Bug control unit and shaft assembly
- 5 in (13 cm) search coil with hardware
- Fisher factory warranty (First Texas Products)
History Seekers is an authorized Fisher dealer, and gold machines are a specialty of the house. Tell us about your ground at (256) 284-2247 before you buy; creek gold in the Southeast and desert gold out West do not always want the same machine, and we will tell you straight. The story is more important than the artifact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Gold Bug and the Gold Bug Pro?
The Pro adds Fisher's more sophisticated ground balancing system with continuous ground condition feedback, which earns its price step in heavily mineralized ground. The base Gold Bug keeps the 19 kHz small-gold sensitivity at the lowest cost of entry.
Can the Fisher Gold Bug really find gold nuggets?
Yes. Its 19 kHz frequency and small 5 in (13 cm) coil are chosen specifically for small, low-conductivity natural gold. No VLF machine finds deep large gold like a pulse induction unit, but for small and shallow nuggets the Gold Bug family is a proven standard.
Is the Fisher Gold Bug good for anything besides gold?
It is a genuinely good small-relic machine. The high frequency and small coil that suit nuggets also suit buttons, cuff links, and small brass in iron-heavy sites.
Is the Gold Bug waterproof?
The search coil handles wet grass and creek splash; the control housing is not submersible.
Gold Bug or Gold Bug 2?
The Gold Bug 2 runs 71 kHz and is the tiny-gold specialist, at a higher price. Start with the Gold Bug if you are proving out the hobby; step to the Gold Bug 2 when sub-gram gold becomes the mission.