Ghostbusters (LE)
Stern, 2016
Ghostbusters (Premium)
Stern, 2016Quoted from stpcore:The longer I wait for delivery of my Premium the more expensive this pin is becoming. Since I can't play yet I find myself buying mods every couple weeks to satisfy my craving. On my way to Pinball Life right now for lollipop rails
i know EXACTLY what you are talking about. I didn't plan to add all that much, but when it took as long as it did to get my machine, I wound up with quite a bit of stuff for it!!
Who would have thought that my Cubs would get to the World Series before my GB Premium was ready for delivery?! 
In all seriousness (and not to get off topic) I'm so happy that after 41 years on this earth I'm about to witness something that hasn't been seen by many in their lifetime. Go Cubs!!!
Quoted from stpcore:Who would have thought that my Cubs would get to the World Series before my GB Premium was ready for delivery?!
In all seriousness (and not to get off topic) I'm so happy that after 41 years on this earth I'm about to witness something that hasn't been seen by many in their lifetime. Go Cubs!!!
Go Cubbies!!!
<- Has been there as a BoSox fan
Quoted from stpcore:Who would have thought that my Cubs would get to the World Series before my GB Premium was ready for delivery?!
In all seriousness (and not to get off topic) I'm so happy that after 41 years on this earth I'm about to witness something that hasn't been seen by many in their lifetime. Go Cubs!!!
Go Cubs Go! And come Premium come! Should have my Premium this week. Can't wait to play it again. I know it's only been a week since playing it at expo but I miss playing it. It really is a great looking and playing game. Hats of to John Trudeau and his team!
Quoted from stpcore:Who would have thought that my Cubs would get to the World Series before my GB Premium was ready for delivery?!
In all seriousness (and not to get off topic) I'm so happy that after 41 years on this earth I'm about to witness something that hasn't been seen by many in their lifetime. Go Cubs!!!
Did he goat retire or something !?
I ordered a Premium last May, and my dealer (local guy) says he is not able to get info from Stern re: delivery timeline and now thinks it may not be delivered until next year. Is anyone else getting similar (or conflicting) info.? Given that Batman 66 is supposed to be cranking soon, these GB delays are baffling. 
Quoted from HighVoltage:Ghosting
I just had the opportunity to play a brand new GB Premium this weekend. It was put straight into public play after being set up. I talked to the owner about the playfield issues, and he said the playfield date was October. I also noticed and verified that it had the new thin PET-G playfield protector installed. It probably had over 100 plays by the time I got there to check it out. The Super Jackpot had ghosting. I came back the next day to check again, I estimate 100+ plays later, and now Add A Ball and Tobin's Spirit Guide had also ghosted significantly. I will add the pics I took later.
Playfield Protector thoughts
Obviously, the protector did nothing to prevent ghosting. Some other thoughts on the protector... Curiously, contrary to what I've heard, it slightly dulls the sheen of the new playfield. The playfield looked glossier at the exposed edges. I did not notice any difference in play physics. The game played fast and there were tons of air balls, but that seems to be standard on GB. I did not notice any shifting of the protector. The owner hoped it would protect from dimpling, and looking closely, it did probably help a little: the dimpling looked less pronounced then on the new, unprotected ST Premium I recently acquired.
GB Premium thoughts
A shout out and big thanks to the owner for putting it out in public, I really enjoyed playing it. I did think it was more fun than the pro. I was looking forward to see the Pepper's ghost effect, but was underwhelmed by that. The right lower "270-degree" ramp (not sure what folks are calling it) seems to have been a compromise to the original design. I probably played close to 20 games and many seemingly good shots would almost make it up, but come right back down. I wonder if that's common and if it can be tuned, I think I only hit it twice. The lane guide jumping is as annoying as I've heard. The scoop shot SDTM about 50% of the time, but fortunately the ball save helps. I hadn't heard the screaming lady (librarian?) when I played the pro before, and that was impressive! With the flipper gap and outlane hopping, the game is definitely more challenging than most, making for some lame-scoring games. But I still had fun, scoring 200m+ a few times, and getting on a roll for 750m one game. Thumbs up from me.
Looks Like October builds have issues as well. Above post from Hey Stern are you serious thread. Damn, I was wanting one too, looks like I will be waiting some time now, before that happens, a play field protector was even installed before the first ball touched the play field too.
Quoted from capguntrooper:Looks Like October builds have issues as well. Above post from Hey Stern are you serious thread. Damn, I was wanting one too, looks like I will be waiting some time now, before that happens, a play field protector was even installed before the first ball touched the play field too.
Where are the photos of the October build ghosting? I haven't seen any severe ghosting in any September build or later... Any photo I have seen is a tiny dot in Tobin's insert that isn't spreading. Nothing like the earlier builds.
Quoted from kermit24:Where are the photos of the October build ghosting? I haven't seen any severe ghosting in any September build or later... Any photo I have seen is a tiny dot in Tobin's insert that isn't spreading. Nothing like the earlier builds.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbuster-issue-thread/page/29#post-3410507
Yep - Pretty small. Nothing like the earlier builds on multiple inserts and much larger. And you said it hasn't been growing. What is it like now?
Quoted from capguntrooper:Looks Like October builds have issues as well. Above post from Hey Stern are you serious thread. Damn, I was wanting one too, looks like I will be waiting some time now, before that happens, a play field protector was even installed before the first ball touched the play field too.
I played that one. Also saw another Prem on location in Portland with ghosting inserts. I've cancelled my order. I'm out!!!
Quoted from kermit24:Yep - Pretty small. Nothing like the earlier builds on multiple inserts and much larger. And you said it hasn't been growing. What is it like now?
Starting on the right side of that insert now, but just very slightly, left side hasnt changed at all. No other inserts are showing anything. About another 100 plays on it since that picture was taken.
Quoted from capguntrooper:Looks Like October builds have issues as well. Above post from Hey Stern are you serious thread. Damn, I was wanting one too, looks like I will be waiting some time now, before that happens, a play field protector was even installed before the first ball touched the play field too.
there are no pictures and he is relying on the owner telling him its an Oct build...i think maybe he is reading the other build dates and not the playfield one or its just bs in general
Quoted from Bing_Party:I am being told I should have mine in next few weeks. My disti did already receive a few machines. Is anyone else hearing strange voices in their head stating that all play field issues are resolved?
Quoted from Bing_Party:there are no pictures and he is relying on the owner telling him its an Oct build...i think maybe he is reading the other build dates and not the playfield one or its just bs in general
Good luck with your order, and the voices.
I'm not saying I believe (or don't believe) regarding the October playfield issues on the above mentioned Premium but pics of the playfield and the stamped playfield date would be helpful in validating that story. Is it possible the owner thinks it's an October playfield simply because he/she took delivery in October?
Regardless it seems that the more recent playfields have certainly reduced or possibly eliminated the amount of playfield defects in comparison to the earlier builds. I don't know that it's fair to make a general assumption based on what is only hearsay at this point. Again, it may be true...it may be false...it may be a mistake by the owner...who knows until the story is substantiated? In any event, I don't think there is need to panic here.
Quoted from stpcore:I'm not saying I believe (or don't believe) regarding the October playfield issues on the above mentioned Premium but pics of the playfield and the stamped playfield date would be helpful in validating that story. Is it possible the owner thinks it's an October playfield simply because he/she took delivery in October?
Regardless it seems that the more recent playfields have certainly reduced or possibly eliminated the amount of playfield defects in comparison to the earlier builds. I don't know that it's fair to make a general assumption based on what is only hearsay at this point. Again, it may be true...it may be false...it may be a mistake by the owner...who knows until the story is substantiated? In any event, I don't think there is need to panic here.
whose playfield are you talking about? my playfield is stamped the 24th or the 26th, i dont remember which one.. i have ghosting on the tobin insert.
Playfields were made by two different companies... a company up here in wisconsin, which produced all of the ghosted playfields, and the regular playfield company Stern normally uses in Chicago....
Quoted from ralphwiggum:whose playfield are you talking about? my playfield is stamped the 24th or the 26th, i dont remember which one.. i have ghosting on the tobin insert.
Playfields were made by two different companies... a company up here in wisconsin, which produced all of the ghosted playfields, and the regular playfield company Stern normally uses in Chicago....
I was referring to the playfield that was supposedly stamped in October and mentioned in the "Stern Are You Serious?" thread. Some comments about this where made a few posts prior.
Quoted from ralphwiggum:whose playfield are you talking about? my playfield is stamped the 24th or the 26th, i dont remember which one.. i have ghosting on the tobin insert.
Playfields were made by two different companies... a company up here in wisconsin, which produced all of the ghosted playfields, and the regular playfield company Stern normally uses in Chicago....
How the Heck Do You Know That ...?
Please oh please continue.
Quoted from ralphwiggum:whose playfield are you talking about? my playfield is stamped the 24th or the 26th, i dont remember which one.. i have ghosting on the tobin insert.
Playfields were made by two different companies... a company up here in wisconsin, which produced all of the ghosted playfields, and the regular playfield company Stern normally uses in Chicago....
Pics please.
I was wondering when most of you guys that are getting your machine put down your deposit? I put mine down May 2nd.
Quoted from golfingdad1:How the Heck Do You Know That ...?
Please oh please continue.
because we live like an hour away from the stern factory and people that work there, are all interconnected around here.
If you want to be in the know, you have to be over here. Not way over there in, "my balls are draggin in the sand because it's so hot AZ". 
Quoted from golfingdad1:How the Heck Do You Know That ...?
Please oh please continue.
Burkel in WI used to make nice PF's for WMS/Bally. But they proudly (or at least reasonably) stamped their name, address and phone number on the side of each PF. As does Churchill.
What kind of company does NOT put their name on their product? The fact that these GB PF's have no company info on them made me think that they were being done by Stern in-house.
Amazing that nobody actually knows for sure. I assume somebody here has asked Stern over the phone or on their tour about who makes the PF's... what exactly do they say?
Stern stopped using churchill presumably because Churchill started making jjp playfields and Stern got upset. They are now being made in by a company in Wisconsin that's involved in some type of coin op buisness.
It was a bad decision by stern and we are all receiving shitty playfields because of it.
Someone in the are you serious thread just mentioned stern is going back to Churchill but no proof of that yet.
Quoted from Litedpinballmods:I was wondering when most of you guys that are getting your machine put down your deposit? I put mine down May 2nd.
I put a deposit down in July, so well after you. No word yet on when mine will arrive.
Quoted from Mitch:Stern stopped using churchill presumably because Churchill started making jjp playfields and Stern got upset. They are now being made in by a company in Wisconsin that's involved in some type of coin op buisness.
It was a bad decision by stern and we are all receiving shitty playfields because of it.
Someone in the are you serious thread just mentioned stern is going back to Churchill but no proof of that yet.
I believe JJP uses Mirco in Germany for their playfields unless they recently switched. All JJP playfields for The Hobbit appear to use baltic birch (can tell by the multiple wood layers) which from what I read on here is a sign that the playfield was made in Europe as American made playfields typically use maple.
The rumors that I heard with the Stern playfields is that they hired a new company to make playfields that never made them before and that is why the issues are occurring. Whether or not they are still with that company (or ever were if that rumor is even true) remains to be seen. Since then I read here on Pinside that Stern has tried to make playfields in house.
Stern should just go back to Churchill as they are one of the few (maybe just two with Mirco) playfield manufacturers that have the process down to a science. If Stern was pissed that Churchill wanted more money per playfield (just speculating) then they should suck it up and pay them when Stern is increasing prices with every release.
Quoted from scott_freeman:Good luck with your order, and the voices.
Wow Detroit you are really following me around I noticed, but then again there is not much to do in Detroit anyways. Its very creepy man, perhaps you have a van too. I feel sorry for you.
Quoted from Bing_Party:there are no pictures and he is relying on the owner telling him its an Oct build...i think maybe he is reading the other build dates and not the playfield one or its just bs in general
This reads like denial. Field reports continue to come in with playfield issues.
Just because you ordered a machine, and want it to be clear of defect, won't make it so.
Funny, when the guys like Chambahz or the distros come onto pinside and declare the PF issue resolved without *any* proof, they expect us to accept their word without question. (Send money now! As a wise man once said...)
But, when we tell them that the problems persist, they demand photographic evidence!
i was told playfield issues were resolved and I still don't have any ghosting going on. I think i'm in about the 500 game threshold right now.
Quoted from Maken:Funny, when the guys like Chambahz or the distros come onto pinside and declare the PF issue resolved without *any* proof, they expect us to accept their word without question. (Send money now! As a wise man once said...)
But, when we tell them that the problems persist, they demand photographic evidence!
Well you need evidence as this is a forum. Whether you declare everything is fixed or you declare there is an issue, nobody really knows unless you get some proof. I guess thats tough to understand.
Quoted from scott_freeman:This reads like denial. Field reports continue to come in with playfield issues.
Just because you ordered a machine, and want it to be clear of defect,
Field reports state that a lonely person is following me lol. Look I like proof when somone says something like "I played a game, it had ghosting, oct playfield date" You are basically just trolling around with no substance. I am getting my machine next week so I have an interest in having pics or proof instead of listening to people like yourself. But i guess at this point it doesn't matter, its on its way! Did you get yours yet Scott?
Yeah I am not a big fan of spreading FUD. I am not a Stern defender by any means (I have a messed up LE) but I have yet to see a September build with issues beyond a tiny white dot in the Tobin insert. Hopefully the playfield swap program starts soon for those with major issues.
Quoted from Maken:Funny, when the guys like Chambahz or the distros come onto pinside and declare the PF issue resolved without *any* proof, they expect us to accept their word without question. (Send money now! As a wise man once said...)
But, when we tell them that the problems persist, they demand photographic evidence!
There was tons of pics showing issues before the first couple of weeks of sept PF dates I would think that there would be pics posted to show issues after these dates.
Quoted from T-800:September 26th stamped on my playfield. 400+ plays, no ghosting anywhere, no cracked clear on either the shooter lane or drain.
Me too, only difference than when I unboxed it is the dimples. I'm hoping this was a good day.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:i was told playfield issues were resolved and I still don't have any ghosting going on. I think i'm in about the 500 game threshold right now.
Are you having any clear chipping in the shooter lane?
Quoted from misfitdart:There was tons of pics showing issues before the first couple of weeks of sept PF dates I would think that there would be pics posted to show issues after these dates.
Here's my issue. I've already posted these but just wondering if anybody else has had this problem. These were taken about 3 days and 50 games after I got the game. My playfield was made 9/23 or 9/26.
Quoted from PinballHog:Are you having any clear chipping in the shooter lane?
not at all.
Quoted from PinballHog:Here's my issue. I've already posted these but just wondering if anybody else has had this problem. These were taken about 3 days and 50 games after I got the game. My playfield was made 9/23 or 9/26.
absolut Stern standard this days
you have to use cliffy protectors
Quoted from PinballHog:Here's my issue. I've already posted these but just wondering if anybody else has had this problem. These were taken about 3 days and 50 games after I got the game. My playfield was made 9/23 or 9/26.
My playfield is stamped with the exact same dates. Fortunately, no chipping yet, and cliffy's are on the way!
Forget Carpathian kitten loss. Carpathian pinball loss stings more..
When I saw this, this morning the first thing that popped into my head was a Sarah Mclachlan ASCPA-esque commercial, "For only pennies a day, you can make a difference in a ghosted playfield's life..."
The shipping delays and quality concerns have been a real drag. I hope they get the quality and momentum squared away soon and hit the ground running next year.
Seems like my Premium is a maybe for next week. Will not arrive in time for our halloween shindig on Saturday but I'll just be happy to finally store this pile of mods, toys, etc in a pinball machine instead of on the blank floorspace the size of a pinball machine.
Quoted from stpcore:Picking up my Premium tomorrow at Stern!
Please ask lots of questions ,
Let us know pf date etc .
Man just flat out ask who makes the pfs, for all.of us .
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