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Just trying to get some opinions before I place an order. Not sure if frosted or clear LEDs would look better in an older game. Please "shed some light" on the subject (heh heh get it?)
pics would be great too if anyone is passionate about one versus the other
I love the look of incandescent 47s warm glow in my Mata Hari so Im trying to keep that feel, but the playfield is being clear coated so I'm getting the LED adapter kit for the board and going full LED. Good to know that the clear LEDs seemed too bright. Were your clears the warm white or bright white?
Awesome feedback everyone, much appreciated! Sounds like I'll definitely go with frosted. Any thoughts on this bargain from Comet? Going into a home use game so I'm not going to have this thing on more than 6 hours a week tops.
http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/100-pack-led-bullet.htm
Quoted from Darscot:One thing I do recommend is do not buy a bulb that is not clearly labeled to not ghost. I hate that they even sell them. Its just not worth the risk and its super annoying to LED up a game only to have the LEDs ghost and look like ass.
Doesn't the LED adapter help with the ghosting issue?
http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/bally-stern-adapter.htm
Quoted from Darscot:I dunno but seems like extra cost when you can just buy a good bulb. I myself just stick with Pinball Life Ghost Busting 1 SMDs. In my opinion the best bulb at great price. I have tried lots of other bulbs and spent way more, unless something big changes up the LED scene that is all I will go with from now on.
ok getting down to logistics now...
With Comet, the LED kit and 100 bulbs I'm at $76.
With Pinball Life 100 non-ghosting bulbs I'm at $80. That's a whole 400 pennies more!!! haha
So now that I'm sold on frosted bulbs the debate is, what is better? Non ghosting bulbs in the machine as is, or getting the LED adapter and whatever kind of bulbs?.....
Im trying to find the post to link to this one, but I seem to remember reading someone complain about nonghosting bulbs still ghosting in an old Bally.
Quoted from mrm_4:Doesn't the LED adapter help with the ghosting issue?
http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/bally-stern-adapter.htm
Leave it to Vid to answer every question about everything in the history of ever!
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/classic-ballystern-led-adapter-kit-review
Just an update. I got my bulbs in. Went with the frosted warm white bargain ones from Comet, I posted about previously. They look great all are working except for 33 controlled lights under the playfield. Now some may say I'm crazy but instead of getting the kit I took the 3 cent per socket route and added the 470ohm 1/4 watt resistor. Took me about 45 mins. No strobe or ghosting. 
Note that the crappy playfield in there now is being replaced by the one I sent off for clear coating.
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Quoted from TheLaw:That's how my Flash Gordon is. Nice job.
Thanks! I actually like soldering so I'm pretty excited about getting the same results for next to nothing. Now if it was like 150 lights or something maybe not so much haha
Although... 150 resistors are only $10 total so I guess it all depends on cash flow.
Quoted from flynnibus:I prefer the warm white retro (clear lens) in GI where the bulb is seen... this is because it actually looks like the original bulb. I don't like the frosted bulb look on a game that wasn't intended for LEDs. I use frosted whenever the bulb is hidden (hidden on pf top, or under PF). Its kind of impossible to photograph to see the difference, but is nice in person.
I have enough to replace almost all bulbs to LED, so what I'm going to do is try out all LED when I get my playfield back to see if I like it. I might end up keeping 47s in where they are visible. I really like the look of the real incandescent bulb. I'm still up in the air about it with this game though.
Quoted from wayout440:Frosted for playfield GI. I still don't like them in the backbox at all.
I swapped out the 47s in the backbox with the LEDs and I don't like it. For sure going to keep the 47s in there.
Quoted from ryanwanger:Curious to hear what you didn't like about them. Switching to LEDs in the backbox is a great way to protect the art...but of course you need to be happy with how it looks.
I think the LED bulbs gave the art to much of a whitewash if I had to describe it. Mata Hari's skin went from a warm flesh tone color, easy on the eyes, to that of a pale white dead body. I even used the warm white bulbs but they are still too "blue" I guess... Probably not describing it very well. I'll post a before and after later today, I don't have a pic on my phone of the glass with the LEDs in it. Plus, this glass is in perfect condition after having 47s in it for 40 years so I'm thinking I'm safe keeping them in.
I guess I can get different color LEDs to experiment.
Thanks for the candy, sticker, and the Beatles Blackbird rewrite btw!!!
At the moment I have all LEDs in the machine so I'll post some pics showing the difference to help with the decision and to get more opinions.
That Flight looks sexy
I like the color of the back glass art with the regular bulbs better than the LEDs. I need experiment with different colors still before I give up on LEDs up there. So far I'm happy with the look on the playfield.
Quoted from barakandl:when you guys take before after shots make sure to lock in the brightness / white balance or else the pictures are misleading. In the mata hari above one shot the background is really dark, in the other the background is lighter makes a difference for comparing before/after.
I'll take another pic tonight. Both pics were locked before I took the pic. There was slight twilight but I don't feel that changes how the illumination from behind the glass would change the color seen shining through. It's evident that the LED is a significantly different color than the incandescent. But let me change them out and take a pic and then change them back and take another so we have another view. Here are the 2 bulbs being compared.
warm white frosted LED (left) vs 47 (right)
Quoted from rufessor:So for me- LEDs are a no go in any controlled light- with a resistor.
Having the playfield clear coated is what got me into this debacle. I love incandescent bulbs but I have to go LED because heating up the inserts under clear is guaranteed problems. If you figure out the slow glow effect for LEDs I'll buy at least 3 dozen for my machine!
Then I would have to start a new post. "Frosted or Clear Slow Glow LEDs for old SS games?"
Quoted from Joey_N:I wouldn't think the heat would be an issue if using 47s. That's what I plan on doing.
That's what I thought too but I'm not risking it. Especially after talking with Andy from Annex. The last thing I wanna do is mess up the awesome work he does because I didn't take his warning.
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