Interested to buy a EM machine for early to mid 70's. Know nothing, so hoping to learn from the people on this site. Any suggestion/advice/recommendations/ etc. Is welcome and appreciated.
Dave
Dave
I'm new to site!
- Thread starter in2pin
- Start date
luch
Super Member
Welcome Dave.
Reading this thread will let you know about some of the characters here.
http://www.pinballrevolution.com/threads/the-pinball-diaries-what-did-you-do-today.126/
Reading this thread will let you know about some of the characters here.
http://www.pinballrevolution.com/threads/the-pinball-diaries-what-did-you-do-today.126/
CJBob
Active Member
I've been reading a few of your posts. I'm starting to wonder if pinball ownership is a good idea for me? I want to play it, not be fixing it! I'm not a handyman so owning a pinball might get expensive?Welcome, now I'm not the new guyLook around, you'll find a lot of great information.
What machines do you have coming?
Dave
Dave,
PM (Private message) CJBob (Bob) and chat there.
He will likely tell you what he is up to, but not likely "online" before his machines arrive in his house.
You DEFINATELY DO NOT WANT PROJECT MACHINES as the first machine or two that you own.
Do not worry about pinball ownership, we have many great restorers and repair guys here who offer advice online.
Lookup the "Menace Files" here. If we can't help you fix it, Menace (Doug) can.
Sylvain, Grauwulf, Cooke, Drano and so many others here "know their stuff" and help us all out.
Keep reading.
Scott
PM (Private message) CJBob (Bob) and chat there.
He will likely tell you what he is up to, but not likely "online" before his machines arrive in his house.
You DEFINATELY DO NOT WANT PROJECT MACHINES as the first machine or two that you own.
Do not worry about pinball ownership, we have many great restorers and repair guys here who offer advice online.
Lookup the "Menace Files" here. If we can't help you fix it, Menace (Doug) can.
Sylvain, Grauwulf, Cooke, Drano and so many others here "know their stuff" and help us all out.
Keep reading.
Scott
Scott,
No intentions of buying a project. Want a very nice looking and 100% working machine that I can plug in and play.
Dave
bstock
Active Member
Welcome Dave. Maintenance and repair are definitely part of this hobby. They do break and they do need maintenance. If you're not willing to do ANY work, you'll want to meet the right people and have some money to offer them for their services.
Think of it like a car. If your headlight bulb burns out, you can buy a new bulb for $30 and replace it yourself in 20 minutes even if you've never done it before. But if you take it to the shop it will probably cost you a lot more... Same applies in this hobby.
That being said, a lot of the regular maintenance and little repairs are nothing to be afraid of if you're willing to learn. As warlock mentioned, advice and guidance is free and readily available here.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
CJBob
Active Member
Hi Dave, I have a Bobby Orr Powerplay and an Eight Ball coming soon, both Bally SS. I dug around this site and others for several weeks to check out sources because I definitely wanted to buy from reputable sellers who will deliver since I'm not sure what to look for. I wasn't going to be comfortable getting a deal on kijiji and then wondering what to do next.
The thread on what tools to have on hand is as intimidating to me as I assume it is to you. I'm not handy myself. I'm excited to get into this but I'll be starting small with spare bulbs, fuses, a volt meter and novus cleaner. If I need to remove a cap to replace a bulb I want to be able to do that, if the bulb is under the play board I'd like to be able to do that myself. If a drop target is stuck I'll do some research to see if I can fix it. Over time as I get more comfortable likely I can do more, maybe not.
I'm actually more comfortable now knowing I can come here for good advice, I can search youtube and google to see exactly what to do and just as importantly what not to do.
I think it will be like the IKEA effect. If I can fix a few minor things I'm going to love my machines even more.
Maybe it's like getting married. If you knew it was going to be a lot of work you might not do it, best to just dive right in and enjoy the ride!
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DRANO
Super Member
Welcome Dave!
If Bob's Bally Eight Ball becomes available I would seriously consider that for a first game.
It's the first solid state pin, if I'm not mistaken, that wasn't originally designed as an electro-mechanical game.
I think it is a lot of fun. Playfield is simple and the objectives are not complicated, but it has a great feel and can be very fast. I just picked up a nice example myself.
Otherwise, if you are set on 70's titles, you will most likely be looking at EMs, as others have said already.
If this is the case, I would recommend the mid-to late 70's Gottliebs (the ones with standard sized 3" flippers) and, if you can find a good one, try to stick to single player games. These are the ones with the angular heads (wedgeheads).
EM games don't have logic like the ss ones, so single player games have progression from ball to ball. Meaning, if you kncked down 3 out of 5 drop targets on ball one, they will still remain down on ball 2. Once you get into multi-player EMs, the machines are not able to track each player's progress individually anymore, so you end up starting from scratch on each new ball and everything re-sets. It's not as much fun IMO.
Good luck with your hunt. There's always a decent deal on an EM out there smewhere.
If Bob's Bally Eight Ball becomes available I would seriously consider that for a first game.
It's the first solid state pin, if I'm not mistaken, that wasn't originally designed as an electro-mechanical game.
I think it is a lot of fun. Playfield is simple and the objectives are not complicated, but it has a great feel and can be very fast. I just picked up a nice example myself.
Otherwise, if you are set on 70's titles, you will most likely be looking at EMs, as others have said already.
If this is the case, I would recommend the mid-to late 70's Gottliebs (the ones with standard sized 3" flippers) and, if you can find a good one, try to stick to single player games. These are the ones with the angular heads (wedgeheads).
EM games don't have logic like the ss ones, so single player games have progression from ball to ball. Meaning, if you kncked down 3 out of 5 drop targets on ball one, they will still remain down on ball 2. Once you get into multi-player EMs, the machines are not able to track each player's progress individually anymore, so you end up starting from scratch on each new ball and everything re-sets. It's not as much fun IMO.
Good luck with your hunt. There's always a decent deal on an EM out there smewhere.
Welcome, Dave! Don't be too intimidated by the hobby.. my first game was a $300 Stern Magic and since then I've gone through 50+ games. I'm not gonna lie, any game you buy WILL break down eventually... just like a car, these things are full of working parts. That being said, tinkering and learning new things is what it's all about. Playing the game is just the reward
You've come to the right place. You're surrounded by amazing people to guide you.
You've come to the right place. You're surrounded by amazing people to guide you.
I'm looking for a pinball machine, not sure I'm looking for a hobby.
Seems like an interesting and knowledgeable group of people here!
Dave
Seems like an interesting and knowledgeable group of people here!
Dave
If you're ever in Brantford feel free to stop in. I'll give you my address.Send me a PM with your address and I'll be right over!
JK!
CJBob
Active Member
Bob,
I think we are going to find out quickly why some of these guys have owned so many machines!
Dave
I think we are going to find out quickly why some of these guys have owned so many machines!
Dave
If I'm in town to visit Gretzky or Bieber I'll let you know!
Thanks for the advice, you might have a good point!
Dave