Thinking about getting my first pin

[alexk3954]

I have been a long time pinball fanatic, but it is just so hard to find tables in good, working order and I am thinking about investing in a table for home.

One thing that sort of scares me is the maintenance. I don't mind putting in time and feel confident that I could fix stuff like lights or rebuild flippers, but I fear problems that would be out of my league. For example, I was playing in a small local tournament in oakland one time and when I told the operator about a problem with his Getaway II, he opened up the backglass and starting soldering stuff on the circuit boards or something. I have great attention for detail and patience to figure stuff out, but that just looked incredibly intimidating.

Second, I am about to start graduate school, so I am not rich man, but I do have a decent savings and could probably afford to spend a few thousand on a nice machine, I would hopefully keep it under 3 but would go up to 4 on something like STTNG which is my all time favorite pin (great table and I am a total trekkie). Any machines you guys would recommend in this price range? Since I would only have the budget for one table, I would be looking for something with a deep ruleset and hopefully a good bit of flow to the play. The theme is not really that important unless it is something I am absolutely in love with like STTNG

If there are any pin collectors in the LA area, I would love to meet up and play some pinball sometime and hopefully get some good advice for buying/owning/maintaining a pin as a first timer.

 

[Kevlar]

The main thing to remember is that there is an enormous amount of information and help available online which should help you fix any problem. The pinball community is very friendly and keen to help new owners become proficient in fixing their machines. Some owners pay to have their machines serviced and some do it themselves, as you have said you aren't afraid of playfield mechanics so you are at least in the latter category. As you strip and work on your pin your confidence will grow and if you are unlucky enough to need a board repair there's plenty of help out there, some parts are replaceable with a little soldering skill. Worst case scenario if you can't repair a board yourself you can either send it away for repair, have someone come to your house to do it or buy a replacement.

Good luck.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

Hey Alex Have you met PinMolly? LA area Shutyertrap visited Pin N Needles she sounds friendly and like kevlar said the internet makes owning a pin alot easier with information and many places to get parts with the click of a button.

 

[alexk3954]

I need to get out to pins and needles, I think will make it happen this sunday. I am actually going to be moving pretty close to there in a few months so I am excited about that. I guess I shouldn't let maintenance scare me away. If it ever gets really bad I can always just hire someone as a last resort.

Has anyone on this site owned STTNG for a reasonable amount of time. I really want to find one, but I have read some reviews that say as soon as you fix a problem a new one pops up, making it maybe not the best choice for a first time owner.

Another one I kind of have my eye on is the shadow. I hear it takes a bit to get into it, but it has a deep ruleset and good replay value. Trouble is I have never seen one and can't find one anywhere in my area to try out.

I think I need to take a trip out to vegas to the PHOF and try out a whole bunch of pins that I have not had a chance to play and find one that I really like.

 

[George Klepacz]

I just bought my 1st a couple of weeks ago, an F-14 Tomcat. Really fun table, but less than half of your price range. In your range, you should be able to find a really nice table. Or maybe buy two! I don't have experience with any of these yet, but I've read a lot of threads on the internet talk about Judge Dredd, Demolition Man, and Johnny Mneumonic being fun and underrated tables, which I think are all around the $1500-2000 range. You might be able to find a decent Funhouse too, but those prices seem to be rising. From videos I've watched and a few of the games I've played, many of the System 11 games are probably nice choices to check out.

 

[alexk3954]

I have very limited experience with Demo man and it was a pretty fun table. I did see some Judge Dredds for reasonable prices but I have not played that or Johnne Mneumonic. I am hoping to make a weekend trip out to vegas within the next couple of weeks to play all these games I have not seen yet in person. I will do some research and look into some system 11 games.

Get two cheaper tables?! Oh man, don't tempt me now!....

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

Jeff Capenter owns a STTNG haven't seen him post in a long time.

 

[alexk3954]

I'll have to send him a PM and see how he is liking it.

I was watching some videos of the shadow yesterday and I think that is the one I'm going after. Looks like there are a good variety of shots, variety of strategies, difficult to complete wizard mode, good flow, and well within my price range. Now I just have to find a good deal

 

[shutyertrap]

Hey Alex Have you met PinMolly? LA area Shutyertrap visited Pin N Needles she sounds friendly and like kevlar said the internet makes owning a pin alot easier with information and many places to get parts with the click of a button.

I was gonna mention this. She has brought many a pin back from the dead, so becoming her friend might save you some headache!

With your price range being the 3-4 grand range, I think you shouldn't have a tough time finding some pins of the 80s-90s era that are fully shopped and ready to go. That way you only have to worry about upkeep, not fixing things. Start checking out Craigslist (Skill_Shot is old hat at that!), and not just in the LA area. When I like to fantasize over owning a table, I've found that the Inland Empire has way more tables to offer than LA and OC.

But yeah, go talk to Molly. If you are going to be living right by there, she'll be a good source.

 

[alexk3954]

I am making the journey to Pins and Needles tomorrow to go and meet Molly.

Do you guys have any opinions on buying online and having a pin shipped? Seems kind of scary to buy such an expensive item without being able to examine it in person. This looked like a good deal, but it is all the way across the country...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bally-THE-S...397?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c59ab22d

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

thers a few on CL in your area.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/tag/3669808500.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/clt/3695900321.html

 

[alexk3954]

I had my eye on that Judge Dredd too.

The guy selling the shadow is also on pinside, has a good collection, has shipped before, and has references that he has shipped to. I am thinking I might go with that. Gonna call and ask a few questions and sleep on it for another night, but I am thinking I may just go for it...

 

[George Klepacz]

Pinside is a very cool site and I'm glad you'll have references. Trusting the seller is such a stress relief. I'm buying my second pin tomorrow from the same gentleman I bought my first from. I know he knows how to take care of stuff and the condition of my first is very good. I looked at the new one yesterday and it's very clean. And he's going to drive it to my house for me!

 

[Kolchak357]

Pinside is a very cool site and I'm glad you'll have references. Trusting the seller is such a stress relief. I'm buying my second pin tomorrow from the same gentleman I bought my first from. I know he knows how to take care of stuff and the condition of my first is very good. I looked at the new one yesterday and it's very clean. And he's going to drive it to my house for me!

What are you getting? Or are you keeping it a secret until you have it setup?

 

[George Klepacz]

Keeping it a secret until I actually have it in my possesion. Don't want to jinx myself.

 

[alexk3954]

Well the seller also had his pin listed on ebay and it got snagged with only 10 seconds to go. Luckily I found another seller in Phoenix that I am trying to get in touch with. Hopefully road trip next weekend

 

[alexk3954]

UPDATE!

So I found a seller who has a giant pinball business and has a near perfect Shadow, or should I say had a near perfect Shadow. It is now mine!

This thing has been beautifully restored to like new condition according to the seller and he has several references that say the pins they bought are as described or better.

The only flaws are minor scratch on the left side of the backboard and a little welding on the ramps (purely a cosmetic issue). Apparently the ramps tend to break on that machine so he did a little bit of welding an guarantees me that they will not break.

Also, the sanctum ball lock tends to burn away the playfield, and that area has been refinished and covered in mylar to prevent future damage. It looks as good as new.

I am told the playfield is fantastic and practically looks like it is out of the box.

The thing that really sold me on this deal is that I have lifetime tech support included and if anything is not fixable over the phone I can send the part in and have it repaired without any cost for the labor. Now I am confident that I can learn how to maintain and fix whatever problems come my way.

I am so excited! I will post pictures and video when it arrives.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

Congrats man! cant wait to see it and I like how you got what you wanted even though you missed the first one sounds like you got a better deal!

 

[shutyertrap]

Not only did you get the one you wanted, sounds like you got some good peace of mind too!

Bring on the pictures when available!!

 

[George Klepacz]

Congrats!

Did the seller send you photos, or are you simply going by his word on the condition? I know you checked references and all of that, so I'm asking out of curiosity.