I could not find ANY clubs directly related to the Alvin G. and CO name other than Mystery Castle (MC) and Pistol Poker (PP).
The details overall are very sparse across the spectrum of the internet as well, as AGC closed before much of the modern internet went online.

This club covers ALL Alvin G. and CO (AGC) pinball, two player, and redemption games as well as parts and board sets, which are basically identical in terms of electronics and to help owners and collectors.

This company seems to be directly overlooked on PinSide which I have no idea why as the production numbers and interest has gained significant popularity in the past 10+ years.
Trends indicate increased collectibility of all AGC games.
AGC lifespan was short lived due to Williams pinball industry distributor control.
The overseas market was their targeted audience.

Thirteen (13) Total Games
Game Titles, Abbreviations, Production Year, and Production Numbers from 2016 Mr. Pinball Price Guide:

Football, A.G. (AGF) (1991) (2 Player) - 500
Soccer-Ball, A.G. (AGSC) (2 Player) (1991) - 500
U.S.A. Football (UGAAGF1) (1992) - 11 (Redemption Game)
U.S.A. Football (USAAGF2) (1992) (2 Player) - 100
Al's Garage Band Goes on a World Tour (AGBGoaWT) (1992) - 350 (Mr. Pinball Guide 2016), historic numbers show closer to 1000
Dual Pool (DP) (1993) - Cancelled (prototype never finished, backglasses only)
Max Badazz (MBzz) (1993) - Cancelled (backglass produced only, no whitewood or prototype)
Mystery Castle (MC) (1993) - 200
Dinosaur Eggs (DEgg) (1993) -150-200 (Redemption Game)
Punchy the Clown (PtC) (1993) - 103 (All known examples)
Pistol Poker (PP) (1993) - 580
Slam N' Jam (SnJ) (1994) - 2 (Prototypes only, never finished)
A-MAZE-ING Baseball (AmingB) (1994) - 1 (Cancelled, Prototype) (Redemption game concept)

IPDB AGC Master Entry:
http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?searchtype=advanced&mfgid=20

Produced game numbers remain in conflict with various sources (IDPB, Mr. Pinball, etc)
Personal worker and industry acquaintances at the AGC factory in the 1990s stated that AGBGoaWT was the highest production based on construction.

"Al's Garage Band Goes on a World Tour"

I recently decided to pull out my personal AGBGoaWT from storage after a LONG time (10+ years).
(NIB overstock Germany export purchase in the early 2000s + NOS parts and playfield)
I never put much play on this personal title in my collection, put maybe 250+ games, folded it back up, shrink wrapped it and got it crated. "Rainy day" in a matter of speaking, but I definately knew I was not going to sell the machine.

"Dial in" via burn test and tech overhaul required on all AGC games, even when it came directly from the factory.
Owners that believe games should work "perfectly out of the box" are $#@!ing uninformed.
That is not how pinball machines behave in the wild or in your house.
They are industrial technical devices that require dedicated care and maintenance, and left unattended will fail.

"Bulletproofing" is a better term, and I still need to add some tweaks to protect the playfield and correct weak points in playfield design for this specific title. It can be be a little wonky if you just fire it up, not in the electronics per say, but more about playfield switch matrix MPU design, not to mention the game has not been played in nearly a decade. The coding does not always properly detect "lost balls". The game design and coding is solid overall in compared to most foreign manufacturers such as Zaccaria, but construction of all AGC games is still lower quality than current Sterns, and significantly less than late model Bally/Williams machines. Electronic power module voltages need to be "watched" to avoid certain "Achilles Heels" for the remaining boards in order to avoid circuit damage.

AGB Pro Tip #1: One of the common "wear" parts is the spinning CD player rubberized decal similar to Whirlwind. The decal color easier rubs off and "flakes" leaving residue on the playfield. The decals have currently not been reproduced, and can be difficult to find. If you want to keep your decal looking "factory fresh", use paint on "LiquidGrip" which is a rubberized clear coat sealer. This is NOT a roof sealant! It is designed for things such as handrails. Brush this product on the decal, and the color and detail will be highly resistant to removal, and provide extra "tackiness" to the decal at the same time giving the ball extra spin and zip. If you decal has already been worn off, but you can still see the outlines, you can bring the decal back to life using enamel paint pens (not acrylic paint) and careful hand work. Then complete the above process.

AGB Pro Tip #2: Another common complaint is the "bounce out" of the CD player kickout which scores "record a song". This is usually common when the flippers have been rebuilt, as the game does require good strength to make the shots. Coils on all AGC games generally were more powerful than needed, but that was a design decision to "reduce maintenance requirements". This is also easily fixed. Use heavy wide adhesive target foam and mount the foam on the backside of the assembly and at the "lip". The ball will never bounce out again and get properly "trapped" for proper eject. The foam cannot be seen by the player as it the same color as the metal, and is easily replaceable when needed. The same type of foam can be used on the lock ramp or an adhesive hard blue rubber square is also a good alternative to prevent additional "bounce out" from ball speed and a broken ramp!

AGB Pro Tip #3: You can greatly enhance and protect your topper without use of "fancy LEDs". Buy an craft acrylic mirror sheet which is 12x24 inches. You want one that is roughly 1/16" thick. Thick is better, but it depends on what you have in tools to cut the material. Sheet metal is much harder to work due to the sharp trim angles and you can cut your fingers if you are not careful with tin snips, but could also be used. Template cut it to match size fit the topper. Attach with edge clips that cannot be seen by the player, and 3D adhesive foam at the bottom mount brackets. This provides a 3D effect, and it also provides the matching mirroring background and protection for the ink screening. If you don't want to use edge clips used for paper, you can use small 3M double sided adhesive tape in strategic locations that are not clear. Keep in mind use a small piece of mylar first, to avoid damaging the artwork, if you ever have to remove the tape.

AGB Pro Tip #4: Typically, most AGC games come with a extremely powerful outhole kicker coil installed at the factory. This leads to all sorts of problems during games that have multiball, as when less balls are in the trough, the kicker and actually force multiple balls past the wireform. In the case of AGB, if two balls are in the shooter lane, the autolaunch coil cannot get two balls into gameplay past the wireform easily, and it completely screws up ball locks at the same time. If the game is not serviced properly and the autofire assembly is very dirty (ie weak in power), the game becomes unplayable as the game will continue to try and serve the balls back into the playfield until the coil overheats and burns up. The solution is simple, use a stiffer resistance assembly return spring underneath the apron. Their is no need to swap out a weaker coil in the assembly. Multi shoot lane balls problems are resolved.

AGB Pro Tip #5: The curved "lock ramp" takes a lot of abuse due to proximity to the flippers and is predominantly riveted. There is a protector on the left side of the ramp, but not the right. The green video mode sign is also very vulnerable to air balls. Go to Home Depot and buy a 6X18" piece of sheet metal. Template the plastics to make a flat reinforcement metal bracket for the backside of the plastics to protect both of them. Take care install that the flasher bulb socket does not touch the bracket, which will cause a playfield short circuit. Cut another strip of metal to form fit the right side of the ramp. Install the right ramp protector with professional epoxy super glue. Install a WMS blue hard rubber 1" square at the end of the ramp to absorb the ball momentum. Final step, use a zip tie to secure the right side of the top clear protector (there are two holes that generally could not be riveted properly based on ramp molding) that keeps the ball on the ramp so it will not flex or break. This ramp is now completely "bullet proofed".

In the future, I may add additional photos, details regarding parts, game repair and restoration tips, and rare AGC backglasses I own along with additional AGC history.

David and Alvin Gottlieb live in great memory.
Michael Gottlieb would be proud.

Keep AGC Flipping and Alive!

IMG_20160430_205208.jpg
IMG_20160429_053625_(resized).jpg

For cross reference:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/mystery-castle-fan-club

Rare TOUR of Pinball Factory ALVIN G & Company on 8mm film in 1993.
Mystery Castle under production.

Courtesy of Todd Tuckey at TNT Amusements

Do you mean the people?
Do you mean the cross renamed investors in relationships under Mylstar Electronics and Premier Technology (this part can get confusing)?

People
David-->Alvin-->Michael
Grandfather (Founder, Grandfather)--->Alvin (Business inheritor, Father)-->Michael (Designer, Son)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottlieb

David - Established the name in the coin arcade industry in 1927
Alvin - Continued the name as the head of the company through the 1970s,80s, and 90s and with its relations with other companies, not exclusive to the branch off with Alvin G. and CO (AGC)
Michael - Involved in the industry as a designer with his father

I love the AGBGoaWT AGC Guitar promotion on the wall with some of the other prototype backglasses, promos, and other stuff.
Good memories.
I could not find one the guitar promo when the game was released.
I don't think that many were made for trade shows.

In order to answer your question, we need a bit of clarity.

Are you referring to the Gottlieb name and it's various reincarnations as Mlystar and Premier or its direct independent venture regeneration as AGC?

There is a lot of pinball history that is included in this question, not to mention the various eras of change. Without certain background, it may not all make sense. The late 80s were not a good time for pinball with slowed sales and WMS squeezed Premier and AGC in the early 90s during that revival period.

Another drought started to occur in1996.
WMS management during the whole 90s period were about the "easy dollar", disliked pinball due to conplexity and arguments, and even undercut production of games like MM that were popular by 1000s of orders never constructed. Ultimately, they did not want pinball to survive.

You just have to key on a specific aspect or this could turn into a serious biography monologue.

More concise equitable description. I was not trying to turn this into a WMS biography within the market.
AGC has a much more interesting history but the situations have ties.
AGC was not tooled to do this type production as stated, as this was not the industry standard, nor were they established as a full production facility.

A little third party price history on MM as related to the industry (and modern Stern) by Aeneas - www.flippers.be.
Quite accurate in simple direct layman term understanding.

http://www.flippers.be/basics/101_medieval_madness_prices.html

The bottom line with AGC machines specific to buying NIB is if a collector wants one (of any title), then the days are fading fast, but can still be found one or two here or there, if you are extremely diligent. Usually either a PP, AGB, or AGSB. I probably would buy a PtC NIB, if I found one, which is highly unlikely. In any case, I would not recommend others waiting another 5-10 years. The jig is up, and the prices are quickly rising like the rest.

Here is something I posted on West Coast Pinball Collectors recently for “pinball music” fans that many not ever had a chance to hear (or play).
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nz20vhn3ez2meps/AABra6a4RXbG2B0fwZeTiExfa?dl=0

Many of Alvin G. and Company’s games featured high fidelity quality STEREO sound that was FAR superior to most of the time period music.
In fact, much higher than most pinball machines today, unless a machine has a PinSound board installed.
The base sample rates were CD quality (320kps).
Even when BLY/WMS DCS came on (with certain advantages), it was still a contender.
AGC got this aspect right.

I recently did an EPROM sound extraction for kicks.

Al’s Garage Band Goes on a World Tour (AGBGoaWT) had some catchy tunes, including a mid-stride drum/guitar solo during the multiball windup, an unforgettable game over sequence (which was normally turned off by operators), and funny as hell game "tilt" voice laugh. *Almost* as good as pinball classics like Swords of Fury. If you are drummer, you are really going to like these music files. These are the actual raw extractions from the game files, and what you hear during gameplay with stock speakers.

So “Plug it in, Crank it Up!”

So check it out, sit back, enjoy and say hello to Stitchy, Gloria, Delmore, Dr. Skins, and Al for me.

AGB_Flyer.jpg

A helpful Gottlieb Visual Guide.

Gottlieb_Whos_Who.jpg

Unfortunately in this case, I do not have a answer to both questions, only observations on the industry at the time.
With Alvin now passed on, only Michael, Roger, and a couple others would have a direct conclusion.
Other people who might have the answer closest to heart, either just moved onto other industries or are no longer with us either.

I can only offer my opinion based on what occurred in mid 1994 and the company.

Part of Gottlieb later problems were the slow growth to integrate innovations of the time into all their machine titles.
Particularly during the transition between EM to SS.
There was continuing "friendly" competition between Bally and Williams, overseas manufacturers were not an impact such as Zaccaria or even smaller US companies like Allied Leisure, because overseas sales provided a large majority of the market continuously and were overwhelmed.
No parties of the "Big Three" were "mortal enemies" by any means, in the later years, because they became good friends, just like with many of the old designers.
Alvin stayed on with the company in all its iterations, but also had other investments in the coin operated industry through the 80s.
The logo never went "Columbia" because that was the end of the Gottlieb production pinball era and Columbia was not interested in its developments. Alvin was by second hand knowledge was interested in retaining his continued involvement in the "lure of the silver ball", but the assets were liquidated.
It was not deemed practical.

Hopefully, this information is a bit more practical.
The only people who could really chronologically capture all the events are dead, in a few cases do not use the internet..., or if Michael really wants to go digging, which he does not have interest at the time.
He does have access to a lot of material in his archives, however.

A couple of more AGC knowledge general tips:
#1 Due to the way that the lamp matrix voltage is strobed, standard #44/47 bayonet 1 LED bulbs will NOT WORK with AGC machines similar to older games. You have to upgrade with a "smart LED" in order for the lamps to work at all. #555/T10 socket bulbs have no issues, nor do #89 multi LED bulbs at the 13 volt range. I don't know if any AGC games used #906. I am researching what the best LED option is right now for these machines that does not turn into "retina burning" and "unicorn pinata sharting" playfields, as the factory lighting for both GI and insert lamps is sub par in my opinion. Additional spotlights, might be an additional improvement at various locations and could be a cheap fix.
#2 AGC owners should be aware that none of the produced games use an interlock switch for high voltage when you open the coin door. There is NO warning. This means two things when you are in "maintenance mode". One, you can get yourself electrocuted if you are being $@!#ing stupid. There are some serious voltages coming out of this game in certain areas. Two, you can blow things up if you are not careful. Shut your game down, even to change bulbs. It is too easy to inadvertently short something out, or have the playfield actually fall and hit something resulting in the same ending. These boards have harder to find components, you do not want to fix, if you do not have to overall.

Added over 8 years ago: Correction on my part.
All AGC games did use #906 bulbs in areas of the backbox or equivalent.
Some games did use #906 on the playfields.

Another AGC game RECOMMENDED tip:

General AGC game plastic material thickness was rather THIN in construction.
Due to the near impossibility to find replacements for game ink screened plastics, protectors are pretty much a must in this case, due to flying air balls.
If you anyone has need, I template cut a full set of protectors of all plastics for AGB in 1/8 inch clear acrylic, which includes things like the Al, Delmore, and Stitchy standups on the pop bumpers, which I sandwiched with extra mirroring sheeting.
They will be difficult to break now, and could easily make a couple of extra sets in a pinch.
I seriously doubt most protector makers like PinBits or Laseriffic will ever offer these for purchase, due to low game production.

"Happiness is a 906 Punchy".
All knowledge helps.

Another little known AGB production fact:

If you looks carefully at the game shown on the AGB flyer, it is a completely different game.
In fact, it was a sample prototype design machine:

- The game did not include the "piano keys" switch feature beyond the skill shot
- Skill shot coding was not finished
- Games plastics were different, or not included such as the "boom box" in the right corner
- Backglass colors were different, and additional mirroring was added
- Upper guitar mini-playfield was a different design in terms of art
- Playfield production colors were slightly changed.
- GI lighting was slightly different
- Feature insert colors were changed
- CD Spinner scoop had a a "cow catcher" front design
- Flipper bats included the AGC logo, and were removed

This and a host of other small stuff.

Most interesting of all, the game is actually missing cabinet parts.
On the front of the cabinet, the lockbar slide mount is missing a bolt on the right side.
DOH!

Something I recently found in my pinball archives from a LONG time ago.
I did not make the purchase at the given time, but 10 years later...
AGC_Letter_(resized).png

Added over 8 years ago: I should have mentioned the "brochure" AGC sent me was not the flyer, as they were not ready yet, but rather a full color photo of the game cabinet, a separate photo of the playfield, and a final sheet for specifications and features. These all eventually ended up on the flyer we know today with more "pizazz".

These are different SMD non-ghosting #44 bayonet bulbs, than many dealers sell, that is why they are compatible.
I have a couple of sources that work, but all exhibit some small amount of "flickering", but not ghosting.

There are some differences in the lamp matrix voltages with AGB and Punchy based on the boardsets of the games.
There just is very little information AGC available, hence a good thread to provide individual game idiosyncrasies.
AGC factory lightning for GI is very poor in my opinion, but the inserts were alright.

#376 Alvin G & Company WORLD TOUR Pinball Machine! Pretty Rare! TNT Amusements (Oct 22, 2013)
Classic TNT Amusements information and humor.

"Punchy's Kinetic Playground".

An interesting, older stop motion film short about the disassembly and reassembly of the pinball playfield, designed as a project in appreciation for pinball as an art form.
Presented as a part of Pinball Expo 2011 by Robert Craig.
This was a metric $#@! ton of work here using over 3,100 still photos.
I bet everybody would like to have their machines disassembly/reassembly themselves during a shop out.

Michael,

Thank you for the historical and personal information regarding your family.
There is just is not that much overall information available for reference regarding AGC, even though old Expos and basic historical files.
Feel free to add any additional information, as you see fit and have time.

I knew the website, I did not realize it was still up, so the contribution is appreciated.
If I recall correctly the website was built in the early 00s.
The scary part is I recognize a $#!@ ton of the owners (or previous owners) of MC.
Many have not changed hands.

Just a note: I just finished flat bed scanning one of my NOS AGB spinner decals at 1200 dpi. I am looking into the best supplier to reproduce the rubberized, textured adhesive decals, and have a small batch run when I get the time.

I want that LARGE AGB display promo that is sitting behind Michael.
Looks like cardboard though...

"Warehouse raid..."

AGC did direct some sales to overseas operators (in volume) versus pure distributors at times to circumnavigate the pressure of BLY/WMS bull$#@% regarding monopolization and rebreaking back into the industry.
That is why AGBs ended up with export multiples still left in warehouses, especially with DM coin doors and transformer settings.
Michael could explain what happened further if he chooses to expand on the subject.
I cannot speak for the rest of the titles, especially PP, because many ended up on the docks, and never shipped.
Low volume on most titles resulted in most being dispersed across the globe, if they were not left as close outs purchased by employees of AGC or friends within the industries. There was substantial deals to be made on these titles from 1993-1994, at the end of the days of the company. Unfortunately, many collectors were not "in the groove" for buying at that period for these titles.

Keep right on AGC rolling.
The posts above show that not all pinball history is quite lost, and there are still aspects of pinball forums that are educational and fun, versus argumentative and redirected to epeens.
Another AGC personal acquisition over the past few months.
PTC #1187...not many left now.
Sequence numbers started at #1101.
There was some weirdness on numbering on the last few machines.
I cannot answer the reason why.
Attract mode still scares the crap out of everybody when the game is running.
Playmeter shows over 176K plays!
The boards, ticket dispenser, playfield, cabinet, or backglass do not reflect this respect in any way.
They must have been awfully short game time periods as this was a routed game.
Oh, and no "ghosting" inserts and continues to retain a high clear coat gloss shine after 23 years.
All from a company that has equal amounts of experience as current Stern, and only physically made a handful of games.
PTC Trivia Note:
PTC had different colored flipper buttons that were reversed from the flipper colors, red and blue.
Left side had a blue flipper button and red flipper bat.
Right side had a red flipper button and blue flipper bat.
Both side flipper bats were "switch flippers" (patented) from the AGC Soccer and Football games that originally had the wires around the edges that allowed auto flipper control and a simple response AI concept when only one person was playing those titles. A highly unusual concept that in this application and design worked quite well from design and reliability. The printing clearly shows what they were used for originally.
One of the reasons I posted these particular PTC photos, is that if a person is diligent they can find ANYTHING (in quality condition), not have to gouge their wallet even now based on the market insanity, learn some more experience, and might even make another new pinball friend along the way.
All these areas have value in this hobby.
Wisdom comes from knowledge and experience, not speculation.
Punchy1.jpg
Punchy2.jpg
Punchy_the_Clown_(resized).jpg

Added over 8 years ago: Something I should have added.
The start button artwork on the front of the cabinet is a DECAL not silkscreened.
Literally just a STICKER.

AGBGoaWT 24×32" professional poster created by using the original flyer front scanned at 600 dpi and revectorized in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Poster image is available at no cost or profit to anyone. It is quite large at over 1.5 GB full print size. Just contact me if you wish to have access via PM for personal printing.

20160923_175231.jpg

The large image file and other multiple posters I have created in the past are stored in a shared personal Dropbox folder. It is not public, but has been made available for pinball collectors in the past.

Punchy the Clown - 22x28"
Mystery Castle (Flyer scroll side for a fellow owner collector) - 22X28" (This turned out amazing as well)
GB LE - 22X28"
CFTBL (modified image) - 22X28"
Genie (two page merge) - 20X30"
Pinball Magic (two page merge) - 20X30"
TZ (two page merge) - 20X30"
Fireball (EM) - 22X28"

Those are few off my memory.
Most turned out really sharp, but it depended on the original base flyer or image I could use, older games print qualities were not that great and require a lot more effort.
The key was to use the right kind of paper and printing processes.

AGB reproduction spinner decals should be available in a couple of months or so.
Production will be limited to 100 on this first batch, which should should satisfy most owners for some time.
Price should be under $20, I am not trying to get rich here.

I am not planning to mass advertise them, to avoid the "attack of the lawyer clones" or deal with Ebay scalpers.
Just ask, this is just a community service, as most AGB games need the part.

Here is one of the samples I received after duplication/creation with a 4500 dpi scan of an original NOS.

Ink color, rubberized texture, and 3M adhesive backing is factory specification correct.
I found a manufacture that could make the rubberized texture a higher industrial quality than the original NOS ones.
I need to finish coating them with clear LiquidGrip™ to further protect the production rubberized ink screening so there are no concerns for wear in the immediate feature.
The one in the photo is already coated for testing.

I will take them for a "test whirl" on a buffing wheel, and do some rub testing in the next week.

AGB Spinner Decal (resized).jpg

On a separate question is why the previous owner sold his MC game.
I am a bit concerned now, as it did not make sense.
There are only two MCs in the PNW (not counting CA), and I know who this game belonged to because I introduced him to pinball in 2002.

As far as the front speaker hum, the owner can PM me, if they need troubleshooting help.
Usually, I can diagnose it with a quick phone call.

BTW, you should see the links to files in your PinSide inbox today or tomorrow.
One of the posters, I did for the former MC owner.

Because he spent quite a few years trying to find the game he wanted.
You are right, there are three, I forgot about the third owner.

Scavenger Hunt Inside - Say "No" to Drugs

a46f8f640193e9ffafa2dc3016739979b35b6019.jpg

For literary reading and history:

34123086_468029236963737_7191098605942341632_n.jpg

I will be scanning the article for my reference archives in the future.

If the game is a prototype, look closely at the flyer and compare the features.
This was a prototype, and one of the most obvious differences is the missing CD spinner "note" targets, among added plastics and changes to protect against stuck balls in corners. There are other physical differences as well.

Short List:

- The game did not include the "piano keys" switch feature beyond the skill shot
- Skill shot coding was not finished
- Games plastics were different, or not included such as the "boom box" in the right corner
- Backglass colors were different, and additional mirroring was added
- Upper guitar mini-playfield was a different design in terms of art
- Playfield production colors were slightly changed.
- GI lighting was slightly different
- Feature insert colors were changed
- CD Spinner scoop had a a "cow catcher" front design
- Flipper bats included the AGC logo, and were removed

This and a host of other small stuff.

To make it simple, if the "note" targets are on the playfield, it's NOT a prototype, and the seller is full of crap.

I am betting they are, because most people cannot differentiate between a production, sample, or prototype game.
Ask them the above areas and see what happens.
Obvious answer will be "I don't know".

ROMs doesn't mean prototype, as there are examples where:
1) ROMS were not updated
2) The game could be a sample
3) DMD board was swapped

For those that follow Facebook, a recent interview with Michael Gottlieb by Naomi Shedd. Very good in terms of providing history, not just about pinball.
Time moves on...

https://www.facebook.com/naomi.shedd/videos/10157089816243453/