I have played both a lot and own the premium. I have to say the pro is easier to score on but with one exception. Let me explain. With the pro you have two things going for you. The EM doesn't come up and block the center ramp and also act as a chute to guide balls down the middle. The other easier part of the pro is the Hermit target. When you shoot that shot, a very difficult shot BTW, the ball only has to have enough speed to go up and hit the target. On the prem/LE it has to be perfect to have enough speed to make the u-turn and quite often it doesn't have the speed and comes back out and towards the right outlane just like the pro.

The exception to the premium is the two EM spinner modes. The first one, EM multiball, is not worth very much on it's own but is helpful for completing songs. The second one, however, is EM Frenzy and it can be worth a lot of points. I have seen only 20M and as much as 800M. I usually get around 100-200M from that multiball. Yeah, EM Frenzy is a multiball, it's kind of a weird name.

Some song tips: Concentrate on the songs that have the solo benefit. Rock and Roll, Trampled, Good Times, Whole Lotta, and Comm. Breakdown. Whole Lotta has a very short solo and is a long song. The easiest are probably R&R, Comm Breakdown, and Good times. Get used to the song so that you know exactly when the solo begins. Try to start your Icarus X right before the solo begins and then wail on that center ramp! The solo section on Trampled is different(all shots lit). As soon as you get five records and the upper scoop lights green, shoot the scoop and change to another song. You want to get that 3rd(or 4th?) song for the Extra Ball.

Speaking of Extra Ball, they are the key to really big scores. There are 5 available. If I don't get at least two extra balls I'm not likely to have a great score.

Extra Balls
There are 5 EB’s available on default settings:

5 gold records
4 complete songs (5 gold records per song)
Start 2 Tour Multiballs
8 Zeppelin Awards (side flipper shot)
5 City Jackpots in World Tour

If you can get five songs done shoot the upper scoop to begin Mothership MB. This can be a huge boost to your score.

Like you guys, I played a ton in the 70's. Then I didn't play almost any pinball until around 2008. But I've got a little head start on you because I've been collecting and playing competitively for 13 years. Keep at it! Practice! Read rule sheets! Watch videos! You will get better for sure!

Yep...especially the spinner sound during EM Frenzy using a subwoofer.

Yes the sounds are great but some I find are too loud in comparison to the music. I just wish there was a way to adjust it so everyone could dial it to their own preference.

I’ve owned a pro and now own a premium. My scores were higher on the pro. The EM allows for higher points I think, but it disrupts the flow of the other modes.

Of all my machines this one is the one I havent scored so high on YET.But I am enjoying it as much as the others.

I cant break 250 mil yet.
I noticed Bezzelbob had a high score, posted, turned game off, never to come back.

Picked up an LE, great game and enjoying the shit out of it!!! The flow bros are in the house!!!

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Anyone notice the feature lights "freeze" periodically? This started for me after 1.02. Sometimes the flashing sequences freeze solid, sometimes unlit. Nothing else is affected -- sounds continue, gameplay is fine, it's just a hesitation on the feature lamps.

Yeah, Rayday knows about it and I expect an updated code within a few weeks to fix that.

sirlonzelot Thanks for the inspiration for me to get this fixed. It's a small thing but once you see it...
A Dremel and about an hours work and I got my missing R back!
Thanks again!

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I just installed the Pinwoofer kit in my LZ and also purchased a Pinnovators PinPac 4 Mac spike 2 headphone kit so I can control the volume outside the coin door as well as connect an external sub. However, I’m not sure it’s possible to use both kits together as they both come with their own sub-boards. Perhaps it’s possible to piggyback them?

Please let me know if anyone has completed a successful setup. Thanks

Best guess on where to lubricate the spot lights on the topper? Was fine at first but now finger nails on a chalk board metal on metal sound.

This is great information, Thanks for this!

I did the same but I found it bends again if you hit the spinner when it is spinning and the ball hits it just when it is level with the playfield. Hits the bottom of the spinner and kind of jams it. You can hear it when it hits like that. I think I had 3 or 4 hits like that and it bent a little again. Not sure what can be done other than avoiding hitting it while spinning.

I'm sorry to do this as it seems most folks on here love their machine. I'm trying so hard to love mine. I've put hours on it every day since I've had it. But it just seems like these spinner issues just keep getting worse and worse. I've lubed it, I've turned it backwards, I've run diagnostics.

Last night I was playing and the spinner just decided to all of a sudden (the mech was raised, but I didn't even hit it) fly off onto the playfield in front of the mech. I turned the game off and put it back inside the holes that hold it. It does nothing now, it just lamely sits horizontally and won't register anything. There are two pieces on either side on the inside of the mech at the end of the spinner arms, the one on the left side is black, the one on the right side appears to be clearish. Are the arms some how supposed to secure inside those?

And then to add insult to injury, when I put the thing back together it is now nut flush, every time I hit that part of the playfield the ball just flies up in the air and usually hits the fourth ramp.

Open for suggestions because at this point the game is just not fun at all and borderline unplayable with the added issue.

Sorry to rant and bash the game but this just seems to be a QC nightmare.

I was having trouble with mine.

Stern sent me a new spinner and never had to install it.

But I never bent brackets or bent my spinner.

I did reverse it 180 and never had an issue after that. No lube and nothing else.

So my suggestion is call Stern and get a new spinner and make sure your brackets are where they started.

Only reason I'm telling You get a new spinner is You probably have bent Yours several times.

Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll call them and my distributor on Monday.

Cool profile picture BTW. Miss seeing those cars in IMSA, WEC, and Le Mans. Not the best sounding cars, but they were beautiful to look at.
Assuming from your location you might be a Sebring attendee? I had been 15 years in a row before last year.

Don't bother...you'll never get through by phone. Just email Pablo at [email protected] as well as [email protected] and cc your distro. Just like every Stern game I've bought, the game is fun as hell...once you've worked out all the kinks (which, admittedly, you shouldn't have to do). I still have the issue of the ball not kicking out another ball when the EM traps it, but I swear I'll solve the issue before I die since Stern doesn't seem to be addressing it.

Fix your spinner and be patient...it's a fun game once it actually works.

Funny that Sebring is close to My home and went to One race.

I've had cars out to Sebring and decided 1 wreck and I'll be sick. I used to rent track and bring My customers.

Had my 2005 GT on the track with one of Roush's drivers showing Me how to drive.

When He approached the 4th cone is when He braked. Told Him 85% speed max but He couldn't resist. Got back and could smell my brakes!

Have 2 late model GT's but as I've gotten older they are just pieces to look at.

Good luck getting Your machine fixed. All the bad posts about machine are just wrong...Love mine!!!

Question about playfield levels - what do people consider acceptable for playfield level tolerances before it's considered "warped"?

In the new (to me!) world of digital levels, it's no longer just "yeah that bubble looks about right" and suddenly there are pretty exact inclinations to measure... so if you set the mid-lower centre of the playfield to 0.0 and 6.5 degrees, what do you consider is an acceptable variation on those figures across the playfield? 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 degrees...?

You can run pinnovators and the external volume control as long as it’s the one that ties into the coin door.

Playfield pitch will vary depending on where you measure it. This is normal. Side to side however should be consistent. I recall someone saying Stern had them lay a straight edge side to side on the playfield and see if any coins could be put under it near the sides.

This is a problem that can happen on any spinner in any game. I've had to bend spinners on a number of games to get them to sit straight up and down. The difference here it he spinner is out in the center and fairly close to the flippers, so it is getting blasted hard and often. Maybe the new spinner is made with thicker wire? I haven't seen one but I suppose I should get Stern to send me one. Mine has only been tweaked twice and has been working perfectly since the software update that keeps from hitting it as it is going up or down. That software rev was the real key.

Another thing to keep in mind is this is an opto spinner that spins real freely and for a long, long time compared to a normal spinner with a drag switch slowing it down. Once you get the spinner going, there is no reason to continue shooting it - especially in multiball. Concentrate on locking balls, cradling balls, ramps, loops and targets while the spinner is spinning. Hitting the spinner will only potentially slow or stop it and very rarely speeds it up unless you hit it just right. If you hit it on the bottom it can bend the wires. So hitting the spinner while still ripping is not only a bad shot from a strategy standpoint, it can also be damaging.

I just got my machine on Wednesday and I have the new style spinner bracket. I thought the reason for the change was to alleviate the issue. I understand what you are saying and you are right , usually you just slow it down if you hit it while it is spinning. I used some dupont motorcycle chain lube on it and spins like crazy now . It is made for metal and it dries and doesn't attract dirt. I am going to put some on the other spinner and see if it helps that one too.

I own a pro and installed the expression lights yesterday. Wow, what a difference it makes. I know the premium and LE owners already know this, but if you have a pro, it's the first upgrade to make for sure.

Well, the inevitable has happened. After repeatedly complaining that my PinWoofer enhanced LZ Pro was too loud and "makes the house feel like trucks were constantly driving by", my wife gave the final ultimatum, it was Pinwoofer or her.......I am going to miss her. She was a good wife.

Led Zeppelin is now the top rated pin of all time. Seems legit.

The bogus ratings are already coming in.

Yep I was telling my girlfriend to watch when the ratings come out all the gnr fans will down vote this and like clockwork here they come. Shows their IQ level is not on the mensa level.

It dropped from 1st to 59 on the day of ratings coming out when you custom filter approved ratings only. What a joke. No manipulation here .SMH

One way to have some fun with this is to pay them back and give GNR a rating of 2-4. Just saying.

The top 100 is a fucking joke on this site. Premium vs le right now have vastly different scores across the board. They are exactly the same minus artwork and powdercoat.

I hate the top 100 with a passion because its filled with idiots trying to make what they own seem more desirable than it is.

when I read I played for a couple games and dont like it is that really enough time to rate any machine.

I understand people are partial to certain machines. That is natural so up vote that one... Don't down vote others ( the competition ) to make your choice look better . That is very immature.

Yeah I would have been a lot less bogus ratings from the haters if it had to come in at 10 instead of 1.

Although I don't agree with it ... I would get a good laugh if 50 votes below 5 suddenly showed up on gnr. I haven't played it so I won't vote. I had an opportunity to play it but I can't stand their music. Like nails on a chalk board to me. I like classic rock blues jazz classical but turn the radio off when I hear gnr...sorry to the gnr fans out there. Everyone has that one band that they hate. For me it is gnr.

I will just enjoy my game and enjoy our minute at #1 remember a few weeks back when wonka hit #1 prices around my area went through the roof.Then it dropped like a rock a week or so later.

There were 3 new comments on crap ratings now 2 are gone .

I know and two wrongs don’t make it right however though... it would be fun to fuck with them...lol

funny how that works .I could care less if my games are ranked higher or not.also funny how some owners of a certain game dont own other games in the top 10 but rate them a failure.

Yes, the EM would hang-up when trying to raise then would get stuck in a position that elevated the plastic top about 1mm above the playfield. The EM would not lower or raise and you would get crazy air balls if you kept playing. I would have to open the glass, nudge the EM to the right to get it unstuck.

What I found inspecting the EM was the top plastic was slightly to the right of the metal plate just underneath it (pic with red arrow). As the EM goes up it torques to the left causing the metal plate to catch on the opening on the playfield, and thus gets stuck. My fix was to loosen the four screws and then move the plastic top to be flush and maybe just a tad overlapping the metal plate below it on the left hand side of the EM (second pic). Tighten the screws making sure it remained flush and I haven’t had it get stuck since.
Good luck!

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Haha!! Yeaahhh!!! LZ premium number 1! We did it everybody!! With all the haters and no toy cry babies, the best pin ever made is finally crowned. Wonka and Star Wars were glitches in the system that completely burned pinside computers down from illogical computations. We needed these new supercomputers that could process the sheer awesomeness in the premium reviews.
Why is it showing the pro?
They got Doge above $0.5 and LZ to #1, is there anything this new age FOMO generation can’t do? Rockets, baby, rockets!

to be clear im not knocking wonka i would like to play it never had the pleasure.Its just a recent event so i referenced it.

Very interesting to see Zeppelin rise to the #1. I have been a huge LZ fan since I was a teenager. I started to play guitar because of Jimmy Page with Babe I'm Gonna Leave You as the first song I learned. When I got to go to England when I was around 16, my priorities were to look for Zeppelin bootlegs in the record stores and play the silver ball from Soho to Brighton.

It has been 15 years since I added a new machine, and I was thinking about EBD, TZ, and maybe MM. I have been thinking about these machines for quite some time. To me, the theme machines really are not a factor along with the music and the shaker and the video and bells and whistle lights. All about gameplay and the one more game feel for me. The idea of a LZ Premium, so new, being established as being better than these other machines overall seems hard to imagine, but it would be great if true. I see where the comments suggest the ratings may not be so meaningful.

I only have room for 1-2 more machines (after selling 1). Hmm.

Just an update on my situation. Emailed my distributor (Trent from Tilt Amusements) yesterday. He didn't need to reply on a Sunday, but he did. Sent an email to Pablo at Stern. Pablo had an email in my inbox this morning. Apologizing that I was having an issue, opened a warranty claim, and said they're working on a fix/replacement part. Once it's ready they'll send me one. Just hoping the replacement will have adequate instructions as I wouldn't mind a little hand holding.