I say go for it!!!

Sometimes fixing things can be quite overwhelming if the answer isn't obvious and sometimes fault finding requires loads of time, research and help. But there is huge friendly community to try and help, and a wealth of information only a click away.

When I brought my first I had no idea, within a few days it stopped working(blown fuse), it's been a long journey of learning, fixing and playing and I'm still learning now after 8 years or so.

Pinball is a great hobby for me, I love tinkering just as much as playing.

You should just dive straight in, do you have any machines in mind to be your first purchase?

Everyone on here is likely to yes!

As long as you pick a reliable machine you should be fine. They don't go wrong that often and even if they do the mechanical stuff is pretty obvious and you can send circuit boards and trickier parts to have them sorted. Good luck!

Soi you bought it-well done. That sounds a pretty good price for a newish machine to me!

I like BBH, only seen one once, played it at the UK Pinball Party last year. I enjoyed playing it more than IM, I like the idea of hunting/shooting in pinball.

Buy it. Then it will start to multiply.

You sound like you are ready to take the plunge. You are going to have to fix or tweak something at some point, that is just part of owning a pin. But it is also part of the fun. You'll get lots of help when the time comes.

A newer Stern like BBH is probably a good place to start. You should have fewer problems with a newer machine.

As others have said, watch out, they multiply!

I just started working on my own machines a few months ago. Don't forget the price of repair equipment in your decision. Also, even with this great community (and it IS awesome) you may find a problem someday that is bigger than your abilities. Then you are paying someone else to fix it. I am not telling you this to discourage you, just want to keep it real. Good luck!

Nothing is for sure and pinball is not for everybody in today’s world. You just have to jump in the water and start swimming. In a way it's an investment. If you can't afford to have someone fix your machine when it's broke you have to be a part of a club/internet/league or something for advice. You need to be proactive and start collecting common parts and maybe some game specific parts. If you want more than one machine I'd personally try to stay with the same manufacture for obvious reasons. Sure, Jack uses Bally/Williams parts, just do your homework. This has been my experience, but I'm sure others would disagree.

I agree with you 100%, however, what does "Jack uses Bally/Williams parts" mean?

Jersey Jack Pinball signed a pact with Planetary Pinball for the rights to use official Bally/Williams parts in their machines.

This is exactly how I felt before buying my 1st pin but with the help of the guys here on pinside (especially PinMike) and a little trial and error I now feel very confident I can do anything except circuit board work on my pin. I started with 1 pin about 2 months ago I now have 3 and am looking for #4!! This is a great hobby that quickly turns into a sickness lol

Owning pinball machines is preserving culture. There may come a time where you won't be able to play them in the wild anymore. So if you have a title that you really love, the best thing to do is own it.

IMO, that was brilliant. Like starting a new car company and using GM parts!

Sounds like you really want one I say go for it. Be patient with learning how to work on them and ask questions here if needed. Of course there will be times you get frustrated with it but that is just part of the hobby and well worth it in my opinion. $2,500 for BBH in like new condition is a pretty good deal. BBH looks pretty sweet with LEDs installed in it so something to think about if you do get one.

You sound more ready than some of the people who apparently buy pinball machines, judging by some of the questions i see being asked here and elsewhere.

I wouldn't tell you to get a Twilight Zone (I swear, since i bought it i don't think a week has gone by where I didn't have to take the glass off to fix something), or to buy some beat-to-hell machine fresh off route or something. But a modern machine in good condition shouldn't be a problem.

The essential skills for maintaining pinball machines:

1) Observation. You need to be able to look at a device, and see, in a very basic sense, what the pieces do.

2) RTFM. Can you read a manual? Pinball machines come with service manuals, describing test modes and describing playfield machinery. You should be able to read written material and use it as a reference. If you've been braindamaged by multimedia and can only extract information from videos and txt/twitter length messages, this will be a problem.

3) Not afraid of soldering iron. You'll probably have to use one to switch out a coil/switch/etc at some point, eventually.

That is funny. Thanks, Doc.

you cant get to 2nd base while keeping safe on first- sometimes you have to take a risk

As mentioned above, no way you will get a "no" out of anyone here - we're always looking for more people to share our sickness - er, hobby - with. Just be warned, they do multiply ... seriously. Started with one less than a year ago and now I have three ... and a wife who thinks I'm crazy!

Yep, but we ignored them and plunged ahead. And I doubt you will find anybody who says they regret it.

Before you go pickup your new machine (you know you are gonna do it), plan to spend $100-150 to equip your "repair toolkit". A decent DMM, soldering and desoldering equipment, some Novus, spare bulbs, switch adjustment tool, a bunch of high quality shop rags, some good carnuba wax, a couple magnetic screw drivers and nut drivers, good pair of wire cutters/strippers, bunch of appropriate sized fuses, etc. That should get you started.

With any luck it will all sit in the corner for a long time. But if (when) something does go wrong, you'll be able to dive right in and get fixing.

If you like the game then buy it. Don't worry about what other think.
I would recommend a newer pin in good working shape as a first pin than an old beater with too much going wrong. The only way you will learn how to fix a pin is to do it yourself.
BBH seems to be pretty reliable other than the buck target switch. I would order an extra one of those if you buy it.

I suggest you buy it and jump in with both feet. There'll be things you'll have to fix here and there, but there's a lot of cool people online who'll help you, and eventually you may meet some cool locals like I did, and find an underground pinball scene you never knew existed.

I didn't know anything about pins when I bought a TZ as a first pin 3 years ago. Wow, what a complex machine to learn on. But you do learn, and you get better at tweaking, fixing, and diagnosing. It's actually quite fun.

You'll be skilled in the way of the pin before you know it.

A good working machine as new as you can afford that fits your interest is the best way to go for the first one.

Down the road you can pick up something you get a good deal on that might need a little TLC. I'd recommend staying away from EM's except for single player EM's as your first project. An older SS is a better choice.

HDC helped me get some EM's back to a certain point but they were just not something I wanted to keep working on to restore so I sold them along with my Phoenix SS I really miss. I gave the guy a good deal and he was happy. I had a better offer a day later but I had given my word and he did come on time and pay in cash the agreed price. I even tossed in some broken jukeboxes I didn't need anymore.

Enjoy your BBH and don't stop with it being the only one

(Waiting for my WOZ first NIB purchase)