so got my GB playing really well and love it. I still have airballs though and they are all a result of that left ramp. I have the air ball protector but the ball still jumps up especially that left Multi target. It's like the protector should have been deeper like the right side. I even have the ball jump off the ramp if it hits it. Happens seldom but GD this is a viloent PB game.

Anyone have tips on making those damn Mult targets less stiff? It's really the only "issue" I have right now.

Also - the game drains big time on the outlanes (hits the mid outlane and then drops to the far outlane). Brutal.

btw - I want to buy the green GB logo speaker grills. Where are you guys getting this from? Don't see it on modfather either.

With how big of an issue this seems to be in surprised none of the modding guys haven't made the Sam as original lane guides as Stern but just make them longer so you don't have to worry about lifting the originals too much. I know I would much prefer this option to what is out there now already. And keeps the game looking more original which I like

Anybody else having issues with Slimer going out of calibration mid game. He will swing all the way to his right (playfield left). Once this happens you can't start a game and have to power off and back on and he will reset. On code 1.11

When did you place your order?

Yes, add additional foam behind the 2x and 3x targets.
Do not remove what's there add another piece of the self adhesive foam cut down to about half the length of what's already there and stick it to the back side of the targets facing backwards, do not stick on foam but the backside of the target.
This creates a nice firm forward lean.

I'm now beginning to agree with this^^^. You should not have to spend more than a hour or so getting a nib pin playable & enjoyable. Having to do all the band-aids to Ghostbusters is a joke..... I'm gonna wait on GB & see if Stern gets their act together before supporting their high volume low quality corporate culture. This game was obviously just whipped together... great theme & nice eye candy, but poorly executed.

My Iron Man's targets have a bend forward ...they were like this from the factory and I've never had one airball off those targets. Has anyone tried to get their GB targets to bend more like this ?

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Pinball newbie here, but a fan for sure.

Just got some time on a premium, my experience so far:

Ordered in August and it was a long wait - at least for me. Pleased with my distributor, and they were responsive to my pestering. Thanks Cointaker!

FedEx was great. Minor damage to the box, but nothing to the game.

Make sure you call FedEx in advance to ensure you have an appointment for delivery. I didn't know this and almost missed my game after taking a day off work!

Play field is dated November 3, and as far as I can tell is good. Has the ecto goggles protection plate installed.

I immediately installed the Stern oem shaker motor - VERY pleased with that decision. Adds a lot to the game in my opinion and well worth it. I liked the idea of the lower speed rumble vs alternatives, so that is why I chose Stern's motor - although I have no experience with alternative shakers.

I also picked up the headphone kit from pinnovators. Also very pleased with that decision, especially considering the volume control issues with this game. One nit is that the mute switch makes the speakers pop occasionally. I would think this could be fixed (and would be better for the speakers), but might make the kit more complicated.

Lifting the play field is terrifying if you don't understand how the rails work. I wish this was designed to be a bit safer. Had to read a bit about how to stop the balls from crashing down. I'm sure there is a how-to video that would make this entire process much less stressful, although I went slowly and fortunately had no accidents.

I didn't bother playing the 1.05 code installed at the factory and upgraded to 1.11. upgrade went smoothly. As I'm a newbie, I liked what changes where reported in the new f/w to make it easier / more fun. Keep the updates coming Stern! Thanks for the support!!!

No weak flipper issues noticed so far.

Had the issue where the game went into ball search mode and slimer locked up to the right, once only. Power cycle fixed that.

Had two balls eject into the shooter lane - once.

Slightly disappointed with the construction of the tilt bob mech. Mine wasn't aligned even close. Was unusable as is, and had to significantly bend the wire (when level and set to 6.5 degree tilt). Not a big deal but this should have been checked at the factory. A better design IMO would have adjustment slots with lock screws so you can get it placed just right for a given slant angle of the play field.

Unpleasantly discovered that GB has no knocker coil, and instead uses (what I consider) a horribly distorted screeching/popping sound. Seemed like my speakers were going to self destruct. Made me cringe waiting for a match. Definitely not home friendly. Found the setting for this, but even low volume was way to loud - why isn't this scaled by the system volume? This sound also seemed to occur for extra ball awards. Anyway, I gave up and disabled the sound altogether. I sure hope Stern makes it actually sound like a real knocker and scales the sound better for home use!!! I like the satisfying sound of a classic pinball knocker... This is not even close.

Hit scream mode and dang that is loud! Again, why isn't this this scaled to the system volume? Not home friendly. Bummer, so I had to turn this very cool feature off for now. Hope this is fixed so I can enjoy this again.

Thank goodness for the pinnovators mute switch for these issues!

Also noticed that the sound glitches / pops when I turn off the game. This is minor, but feels like a cost reduction issue that could be addressed.

Wish the system volume range was more home friendly. Volume 1 in my setting is plenty loud. Volume 0 is even almost usable. This means my volume range choices for home are effectively on or off.

I'd suggest a home vs arcade set of defaults to make both camps happy. This could also set things like free play, etc which I otherwise had to hunt down in the menu system.

On to game play ....

Awesome, awesome and more awesomeness!!!

Love the sound, light show, shaker integration, etc.

I only hit multi ball twice so far (storage facility?), and man what a rush!

I'm not qualified for further review.

Oh, and I'm very happy with my choice of premium over the pro. Really like the features, although I haven't played a pro so can't say I'm X dollars happier.

That is all for now,

BTW: Can people recommend a good guide for learning how to play pinball better, And specifically the Ghostbusters rules, features, goals? Right now I'm just bashing the ball around and shooting things for fun. I'd like to up my skills and be able to explain basic rules / goals simply to my guests.

Looking forward to many hours of shared enjoyment with this game!

Cheers

I had an issue where the two mechanism pulleys were out of alignment and causing frequent calibrations. Posted my fix in the GB Issues thread.

Did you put washers below the plastic to make it sit higher off playfield? See below. After doing this mine clear just fine

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No room unfortunately. I'm gonna try bending targets and/or adding foam. Also ask lsop for the new modified plastic

Anyone know what determines the number of hits needed to chase slimer away? Seems like it's either 2 or 3 (not including unregistered hits of course). Doesn't seem to be time based.

3 but the third can be in the ecto goggles

Ok, got all of them replaced. Right side easy as you mentioned. Actually all was pretty straightforward, except the two around the slimer pole to the right of the left ramp. For those, I loosened the ramp under the playfield to get a little wiggle room, then worked them right over slimer. Obviously the smaller one (a 1" I believe) was tight but carefully worked them over slimer. Installed the side blades ... when I did this on GoT, I removed the playfield, but left it in for GB. Very easy, glad I left it in!

I think I understand but could be some typos. If you have a pic that would be great.

Ok, I think it's registering some hits twice. It doesn't seem like it because I will only get one arrow that is slimed, but sometimes it is definitely 2 hits even without the ecto.

Not that it's that_ important, but decided to tinker with slimer to see if it's a physical problem or software, or what the logic was. I took the glass off and played a few 'manual' games, triggering slimer manually. I verified slimer was registering ok, so I'm pretty sure there are no double hits going on. He seems to require a good, strong shot to register, no dragging, etc.

What I found:

1) Sometimes, slimer will need 3 shots, and after each hit an arrow will be 'slimed' as expected. After the 3rd shot, he's chased away.
2) Occasionally, the physical slimer will move away to the off position after the second hit, and slimer will be in the ecto goggles for the third shot (DMD still says 'chase slimer away'). Making the ecto shot completes the mode.
3) About half the time, slimer will be chased away after only 2 hits. After the second hit, 2 arrows are slimed (I'd think 3 would be if he was double registering). No slimer in ecto, though sometimes there are other ghosts.

So, slimer seems to be working right as a switch, but unsure why it's only 2 hits sometimes. Might be intentional in software, a bug, or other issue. Just figured I'd post to see if anyone else is inclined to test.

I did just update from 1.05 to 1.11 and the beeping sound from the timers is a little different and it's at a lower volume. It's not as bad now. I have had some weak left flipper moments, but it was probably still worth updating.

Can someone post a pic of the ecto goggles protection plate I've heard about . And how can we get it from Stern?

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Q: Is there a way to see the high score before I enter my Initials ?
I get prompted for my initials but I can only see the score after I enter my initials.

Calling the premium crew.
Wading through multiple GB fix and must mod pages and a bit lost in them.

Would someone be kind enough to direct or pm me to any of the most critical fixes and mods to get this baby up to max fun asap after purchase?
Will most likely order before the holidays are over and want to be prepared.

Appreciate the time!

The lane guards I have on my site is a must have fix to avoid the ball hop.
Boockstacking mod is very popular, you can see all of my GB mods in this link:
http://modfatherpinball.com/collections/ghost-busters

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So, mods are a personal choice so have fun with those (I have quite a few). As for the must have fixes, this is what I did to mine and it's a blast to play. Still a hard game as it was meant to be, but doesn't seem like it is cheating you.

- Install Code 1.11 (there are bugs, but the mode progression is well worth it)
- Use a punch and a hammer and bang up the outside rails about 1/4" I don't have any problems with lane hops
- I chose to install cliffy protectors to help prevent any possible playfield damage
- I bought Art's airball protector and installed it. I still get some, but this helps tremendously.
- I put a stiffer spring in the autofire coil so it would not fire as hard (may go stiffer yet)
- I decreased the power of the trough eject (in settings)
- I moved the adjustable posts to be in the tighter position (right side is a pain to do, but worth it)
- Check your slingshots and make sure the big rubber ring is below the small rubbers on the posts. This puts the big rubber ring in the middle of the ball path and the slingshots are more active.
- Level the game at about 6.5 degrees and make sure it level left to right
- Installed the tilt bob (and adjust ring), but it's pretty loose

Then play and enjoy the game. Keep in mind it will kick your butt, but when you get a good game going it is so gratifying. If you really don't like the way it plays, then you can look into the center post, outside lane guards, etc...

Do the new games all come with this installed? Mines still sealed in the box so I don't know.

Has anyone replaced any of the white flasher with different non-factory flasher bulbs? I tried this and they will only work with the flashers that the game came with. Even if I take a factory 89 white flasher out of my STle it will not work in my GB prem.

Thanks for any info!

I believe the Spike system uses 5V flashers. I'd have to check the manual at the house, but you probably don't have enough juice to power those other flashers.

Can we buy your green-slime ecto goggle shield?

Did this and love it.
Can't believe they come from the factory on top of the little rings.
Lowering the main ring also stops the leaf switch from popping out from under the rubber.
I had my leaf switch slip out of place 3 or 4 times. Now with the main ring lower it is almost impossible for it to come out.

Yeah, I forgot about the leaf coming out. That happened to mine too. I'm pretty sure it's just a mistake having the large ring on top of the others. Some ops like to use double bands so I am guessing that's why there are extra grooves.

I did notice last night that my ecto goggles looked odd, after checking some pics I think my mirror got moved to the right so I'll have to check that out tonight. Pinball is always about fixing something

Having the rubber on the lower position requires less throw to activate the switch

Also being on the higher position.... when the ball hits the rubber it's pushing it in a upward motion by where the ball hits the ring.

Someone had a great idea.

I recall Gary Stern saying it started out the way you have it now, but they were getting air balls in the slings so they changed it around.
The quote is in one of John's Arcade Stern tour videos.

Ok, I my be overlooking the obvious... Where do I decrease the power of the trough eject?

Correct, but it was John Trudeau, not Gary Stern who was talking about it.

I am currently working on a new Airball Deflector and Ecto Goggles Shield in the same style as the Slimer Rails that I do and will go with the Zombie Yeti style on the playfield art. They will be available in clear , green and magenta to go with different peoples style of preference. The green would look great on the LE. I am personally going with magenta throughout to match my trim color. I am waiting for my trim to come back from Powdercoating (raspberry) before posting a bunch of pics. Check my website for Ghostbusters mods periodically , as I don't post pics here all the time. www.modfatherpinball.com

It's in the service menu but I believe only with 1.1 or 1.11 code installed.

I haven't seen any air balls from the slings. The place I'm getting them is the actual ramp. I took a close look at mine and the flap was bent up some on the left side as you face the ramp. I took it off, did some careful bending and replaced it so it would be flat.

I am also getting some air balls off the targets still (including slimer). So I took someone else's idea of adding 1/4" of high density foam at the top of the target. It seems to change the way the ball can compress the target and I think it will help. We will see.

While I was in there I went ahead and lowered the PKZ ramp a bit by cutting 3/8" off the aluminum standup and retapping it. This seems to give a smoother path and not twist the ramp as much. Someone else's idea here too. I kept seeing the ball get pinched by the ramp before.

I'll try these out a while and if I don't like them it's easy to change them back.

I really think a lot of the air balls are just because the targets are so thin that they bend when the ball doesn't hit them square. I may try replacing the slimer target face with a stiffer one later on.

I have some more mods to install this weekend so may make more tweaks then or take these out.

300 games and my lower right vuk switch broke. My only other Stern is TSPP and it uses different vuk switches. Ordered a bunch and hoping I don't have to replace often.

Thank you silverballnut for the advice!

I think Stern switched to a cheaper design for their switches in the latest games? Someone posted a picture of the new switch design a while back and said that it contains less metal parts then the older traditional switches which have been in games for years.

Nothing like adding cheaper parts and yet increasing prices...I'm sure Stern would put plastic balls in their games if they could get away with it, lol.

Ah, thanks. that must be why I can't find it. Haven't bothered to install from 1.05 yet.

I've heard it through the grapevine that there's been a node board shortage on the game the past several weeks, which has led to the unexpected delays.

Please post a coming soon when you can with the option to be notified and I'll be interested in picking them up.

I was given a "hopefully shipping within two weeks" six weeks ago, and no further response from my distributor since..

Did these washers come with the protector? I bought mine from Old Pinball Guy but there were no washers included.

My machine is supposed to arrive tomorrow so I want to install this asap...

You will want to buy some #6 washers.
Tip: Buy a few # 6-32 nuts as well.
Standard 6-32 nuts are thinner than the (stern supplied) "lock nuts" and require less threads to be do the job allowing you to add a couple of washers and easily add the nut on top of the airball protector.

Ahh, off to the hardware store before tomorrow.

Thanks for the help.

Just curious, I believe you were the one who suggested Oldpinballguy's airball protector. Did your ball clear when installing without washers?