I have contacted bgresto twice about my doodle bug backglass and never got a response. what happened to them??

I would pass pass and maybe if you really like delta Queen =)

Just not great deals considering condition IMO.

I would be interested in beat time just for beetle mania but this one should be called beat up time.

Good examples of cheap machines though they are out there. Most people making this comment are referring to deals on top 20 games

Just my 2 cents

Thank you for sharing

This one looks real nice to me.
Reasonable price too.
harrisburg.craigslist.org link

Oxo.JPG

Ken - you saw how the EMs didn't move at A-town. I only buy very specific titles anymore. The general EM market just isn't there anymore. All I have left is Flipper Parade, World Fair, 2x Sittin Pretty, Mata Hari, Ice Revue, and the Fast Draw I got from you. The only one I'm keeping is Fast Draw because I love that game. I'll probably lose money on a few of these as well.

Scott

Forgot, still have the Knock Out as well

and craiglist chicago.craigslist.org link

What a great playing (and looking, IMO) game. Rest in Peace Norm Clark.

yeah I seen on their website that they did a doodle bug I can wait. no hurry as mine is in pretty rough shape but not horrible

Sorry, thought you were Ken Hall (EM Ken). Anyhow, the advise still stands - market for average EMs is in the shitter right now...

Sure shot is a good game, a little easy, I sold mine for $500 Dec '10. Haven't had the other. Only EMs I've picked up in '12 and '13 is Mata Hari, Ice Revue, and Fast Draw.

I knew I should have trademarked the "catchphrase".

Stay away from Wms unless you really know it is a good game - yes, I'm a GTB snob.

Here is the Ice Revue I picked up to save from the shelf paper...

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Some of you Gottlieb guys really have the blinders on. I'm not sure where this all comes from? I think you must all collectively influence each other to have that narrow mindset. Of course Gottlieb made many great games, the most good games consecutively for sure. With that said by limiting yourself to them alone your missing out on a lot of great games by other manufacturers. When I was a newbee I read statements like this all the time. I bought a few of the "great" Gottlieb games based on the hype. Most were good but overall I was somewhat disappointed. Many of the Williams games I bought on a whim with no expectation turned out to be as fun or more so. I really think it's subjective. If that is your preference I can certainly understand it. You're not alone in that assumption. Or if you're buying for resale then your probably on the right track.
Alex

I base my bias on maintenance - once you work on GTBs, It is hard to go back to Wms and especially Bally - I'm dreading the restore on my MH...

Ferrari's are maintenance nightmares, but a blast to drive!

My Cow Poke sat in a pole shed for who knows how many years. It was the easiest game ever to get running right. I went through, cleaned all the switched and steppers, fired it up and it played correctly. No nagging issues to sort out. It just worked and played like butter. Part of the reason I have a fondness for it.

My Quick Draw and Lucky Hand on the other hand were some real MFer's to get playing. At one point I gave up and put LH for sale. Chris Hibler got me calmed down and sorted out after a few phone calls (great guy). Brian Saunders has shared many a Gottlieb ressurection nightmare on RGP over the years.

I had a Stern Stampede (essentially Chicago Coin) after shopping it out it played flawlessly for the years I owned.

As far as maintenance goes I think a lot of it has to do with the condition you bring them home in combined with your repair experience/mindset. With experience I think you tend to develop an intuition when your accustomed to a certain manufacturer. After working on all of them that knowledge/intuition starts to meld together.
Alex

Idunno, I think the exact opposite in respect to maintenance. I've recently just finished working on a bunch of WMS games and now I'm onto to a GTB which is proving to be a bit more tedious. To each is their own I guess but I wouldn't condemn any manufacturer so quickly. After all this is about having fun, having an allegiance to one brand is only going to limit your fun possibilities.

I will say as a rather new guy to the pinball world it's great that people are GTB fans only as I can get some great machines (non GTB) for next to nothing, so all those who are GTB fans only keep up the good work.

+1 Ken

I've worked on a lot of things in my life, from pinball machines to helicopters and in respect to Williams (GM) and Gottlieb (BMW) that is bang on.

I also find Williams games easier to fix. No hidden levels of switches on the score motor. Switches seem to be larger and easier to adjust. I can purchase flipper links/plunger already assembled and not have to mess with the roll pins. Much easier to see and access the score reel switches. Many times free downloadable schematics are available.

In terms of mechanical design, I'll take take the Williams Ball Count and Player Unit steppers over the Gottlieb player unit. The out hole to shooter lane mechanism on Williams games seem to always work.. DC power pops/slings starting in '72.

Gottlieb had the edge on soldering though.

Williams is the Ford, Bally the Chevy, Chicago Coin the Chrysler, and Gottlieb the Cadillac.

I thought Chicago coin was AMC ?

They never made a pin that good!

Both junk.

To your first point.....I wouldn't know

BUT!!!!

To your second point!!.....I wouldn't know either

I'll keep driving my 69 Chevy CST10 so every other vehicle I drive feels like a Ferrari by comparison.

I have had a little of each of the big three manufacturer's Late 60's to late 70's EM pins. Of the three, I like the Gottlieb games if for no other reason, the sound.

To me, the Williams schematics and documentation is more thorough than the other two.

I like the Bally switch stacks on the motors and reset banks with the plastic ladder type spacer. Seems more robust than the barrel type spacers between switches in Williams and Gottlieb switch stacks.

The games all were/are fun to play, but I lean toward Gottlieb Wedge Heads for some reason, then Bally, then Williams. I have owned none of the other brands but I'm very open to it. The opportunity just hasn't been there yet.

Back in my Towing/recovery days picked up many a Bmw s with a Chevy of course.
Bmw not worth the $$$ in my opinion,but $$$ for pinball machines worth every penny.

Agreed,more/better info was supplied by Williams followed by ....

As a mechanic for 30 years I had the chance to drive and work on almost every different kind of vehicle, and in the end I came to a conclusion that they are all junk. I own an 01 Tacoma, and it suits my needs just fine. But lately I drive as little as possible.

And in hindsight Bally is more like a Buick than a Chevy.

Cripes, this thread. Jeep is better than Chicago Coin, Williams Grand Prix gets bad gas mileage, and 2" windshield wipers are difficult and annoying compared to 3" but they can be fun if it's a zipper-wiper machine.

Jeep is better than most vehicles, too. And yes Grand Prix probably gets the worst milage. It has that gas guzzling four barrel chime unit.

Imagine how clean your windshield would be if we were talking about Humpty Dumpty!

Heh...I had a 1997 Toyota Tacoma that I bought new in March of 97. It had 137k miles on it (very low for a 17 year old V6 driver) Until some dipshit ran a red light and totaled it. Now I have to look at used Tacomas. I would like a new one but I can't warrant the price at 23-29k ish for the ones I like.

The 3.4 L V-6 is a very solid, simple, dependable motor. Far better than the 3.0 L it replaced in 1995. I believe it was used up to 2004. All of their four cyls. were pretty bulletproof, too.

Drool, drool and more drool. I just drool each day that these machines are listed on EPAY.

ebay.com link: 1977 D Gottlieb Solar City Pinball HUO With only 4700 PLAYS ON IT Cherry <---Solar City

ebay.com link: 1977 Gottlieb Centigrade 37 Pinball Machine <---C37

ebay.com link: 1978 Gottlieb Gemini Pinball Girl has gone Crazy 99 cents no reserve uber RARE <---Gemini

ebay.com link: 1975 Gottlieb EL Dorado Restored pinball machine Pinball Girl is doing it again <---El Dorado

ebay.com link: For Sale 1975 CARD WHIZ pinball machine COLLECTOR QUALITY <---Card Whiz

That C37 is one that I sold to Ron. He is also unloading the Atlantis I restored.

Scott

He should really stop changing his prices on his machines--that's about the 4th different price on that C37. I understand bumping it for ebay to cover fees, but even on CL, he's had different prices, and not just adjusting downward. Up, then down, then somewhere in between, then back to the highest again, etc. A bit off-putting.

OK, I'll play. This is a nice looking woodrail. Gottlieb Straight Flush
ebay.com link: Gottlieb Straight Flush Pinball Machine

More than I have left.

Here's one you don't see too often-
ebay.com link: pinball

$900??

I have seen much better examples.

Nice,no shortage of rollovers.

18 watchers on this one. 1969 Gottlieb Spin a Card Project pinball machine
ebay.com link: 1969 Gottlieb Spin a Card Project pinball machine

Yea, the Hit the Deck is a nice art package......
Too bad that is the worst part about that particular game!