I remember saying the same thing. Like yourself, I started with low dollar EM pins. Even though I didn't know much about them I knew I could easily learn to fix them. My Em collection was about 25 strong. Even had a few EM shooter games and picked up a few EM shuffle allies and Bingo. But my real love was for the early SS pins I played in my later teens in arcades. Was worried about board repair also. But thee is a lot of info on the net about early SS board repair. Wasn't long before I taught myself how to do most repairs.
One thing to point out is with that staircase you really want to stay with either EM or early SS pins that the head comes off. Also taking the playfield out makes them easier to move up or down the steps.