Great to hear. Thanks for giving credit where its due. I have found the folks at several different suppliers to be very friendly and helpful. Now, if we could only get the DMV to follow their example!

Steve is a great guy.
He can be a tad intimidating at first to talk to but knows his sh*t inside and out. He pulled a manual for a CCM I was repairing and instantly knew which parts were subs.

Highly recomended.

I also like Marcos. Never an issue. Stuff ships fast.

I've talked to Steve on a number of ocassion's.. He actually answerd the phone.. Marco was in Seattle for the Pin show,, so i ordered The Complete Plate ( flipper-rebuild's for TAF .. Steve guided me thru some obstacles .. and he's the Gottlieb King.. I do believe he bought the Gottlieb Right's .. , Hmmm !! I just hit 10.000 w/ this Post !!

Steve is a great guy. I met him a few times at the PA convention. Always helpful. I just wish he'd take credit cards over the phone. He also told me he's not doing any more shows!

Welcome to 5 digits!!!

I agree Steve and PBR are top notch
was a story about them in a magazine few years ago
remember the coil winding machines they used

I ordered from PBR once. Steve seemed like a nice enough guy, and my merchandise was shipped quickly. I have read some horror stories about dealing with Steve, but that certainly wasn't my experience.

I just wish they knew how to read/answer email. You get responses, but they aren't useful, even to yes/no "do you stock..." questions - you have to use the phone to get anywhere with them.

If you need anything Gottlieb related - Steve's the guy!

I had an error on my first and only order with PBR but it was taken care of quickly and easily so I have no complaints and wouldn't hesitate to order from them again. My only minor niggle would be that the packing materials inside the box smelled like cat pee... I shit you not.

gotta love PR. We need him.

Someone call Steve and see if he own's a cat ... LOL

I've ordered a bunch from PBR. I usually try to avoid calling because Ive never had a long, enjoyable conversation with Steve. Ive only talked with him a few times and intimidating is a nice way to put it. I try to order through E-mail just so I dont have to call. Maybe Steve is in a better mood nowadays.

There are some funny stories over on LKOV, so I was a bit weary the first order. I needed parts for a baby pacman and when I asked about replacement light sockets the shit talking about BPM started and it was a hoot. We had a great conversation and I was pleased with it all. I am now building up my 3rd order from him.

Heck I almost miss the days of having to call to order stuff, and enjoy the interaction with a human. One of the great things I like about the pin community is how it seems to be filled with unique individuals who stick to the old way of doing things. If you have ever dealt with Bob Roberts you know what I mean. Just his how to order and pay is amazing. He only takes money orders, and only from specific companies.

I see both places as like climbing up the mountain to speak with the oracle. It takes a bit more effort, but it is completely worth it. I still go to the small hole in the wall ancient hardware stores around town because you can go in and explain what you are trying to fix and they know exactly what you need. Some of the bigger HW stores employ folks who have no clue and offer little help.

I like to call as well.

OOh Man Rookie ,, Surely not !!! Gotcha ,,, ,

,,

I've ordered from Steve before and as I jumped from machine to machine and read part numbers, he was finishing my words. He doesn't need the manuals, he just fakes pulling the manual to make us mortals feel more comfortable. (-: I little old-skool but he trusts repeat customers for certain size orders, ships quick, and is very reasonably priced. Amazing and great to see it in this day and age.

Bringing up this old post to let y'all know http://www.pbresource.com/index.html is still the place to go for early Gottlieb parts. Also, how many parts stores do you know that will sell you one half of a flipper rebuild kit? Yep, each kit services two flippers. I'm getting them for Genie - which has three. I was ordering two kits, when they mentioned 'each kit includes parts for two flippers'. I was half joking when I said "then I need one and a half kits, but I know y'all probably can't do that". She didn't even hesitate - said no problem. So I've got 1.5 flipper rebuild kits, and 3 new flippers coming my way - said they would ship out tomorrow. I find it amazing that they will send the parts before taking any money. The parts will come with an invoice, and then I'll write a check (they don't do Paypal or credit cards). Thumbs up!

Same here. I always get half flipper kits from PBR for my three flipper games. Great service from Steve too!

Was looking for a very specific part the other day for my cyclone. NO ONE else carried it... not even Marco.

I emailed Steve about it and sure enough, they had it.

Huge shout out to PBRESOURCE.

Blackbeard approved!

Good to hear y'all speak positive about a vendor! I have never had an issue with PBR or any vendor that supplies parts for our games.

The man,Steve Young,is an expert pinball parts person.His knowledge of part #s on what game had what is second to none.I've had the opportunity to visit PBR and I get why he needs part #s when you call.The place is maze of parts,most the size of your thumbnail!!It's like the final scene in Indiana Jones when the crate with the ark gets stored with all the other crates that look just like it.........gonna need a part#!!!!Scott

Been ordering from Steve for a long time. I think the secret to a good initial interaction with Steve is to show respect for his time by being as prepared as possible with part numbers, quantity etc. Once he knows you are respecting his time and not expecting him to do your thinking for you, he will give you all the time you need and as much as you like. He loves to talk pinball and offers often solid unsolicited advice and direction.

I found this to be true as well

All this talk of PBR is making me thirsty!

I use a lot of Suppliers, but Steve was my first, and still use PB resource regularly. I must say a great place to buy, support is fantastic, and a wealth of knowledge.

I had a good experience for my first time with steve and the pinball resource. And the best prices that I found on everyday stuff on the web.

No soup for you today!

I own a gottlieb and have ordered many times from PBR and for me the experience has always been top notch! He's sent me over $200.00 in parts and never ask more than for me to pay within 10 days of receiving my merchandise. I do and will continue to order any parts I need from him first, only going else where out of necessity.

Has anybody been able to get a hold of Steve since the 7th of July? I know he's on vacation but his email said that he was going to start taking phone orders on Monday. I don't know if that date is wrong or if the busy signal, I get when I call him, is just him being flooded with orders. I'd imagine it's the latter.

I used to always have trouble getting through to him to place orders. Just keep trying on the phone.

The 'not accepting online payments' thing is a major PITA outside of the US - only reason I don't use him more often.

Purchased quite a few times from PBR and always received great service. PBR provides a great product portfolio and resource for our pinball community

I talked with Steve on Monday and placed an order. Keep trying.

Best way I find to place an order is via email WITH PART NUMBER if possible.

If you don't have the number, he'll find the part still.. but you might get a little reeming out.

GREAT service Steve has.

Good to know. Thanks for the heads up.

Steve and Gloria are top notch and great sellers.
Steve will tell it like it is and knows more about pinball and Gottlieb parts than anyone else.
Buy with confidence

They need serious customer experience training. I don't use them because of their attitudes.

Steve is taking calls since Tuesday of this week. I called early to find out the status of an order, and he mentioned that he is swamped with calls. The guy who does the email orders is out until next week. As I understand it, anything emailed between 6/29 and 7/16 are simply going to be ignored.

They didn't get my (email) order filled before they left, so i had to call him on Tuesday to get it done. He may well know his shit, but he is not at all congenial. Want to make him even less so, point out a mistake he's made (which I did three times). Hopefully I didn't peeve him so much that he'll simply toss my order. It sucks having only one (bombastic) supplier for Gott parts.

You have to be ready to order when you make the call
have all your part #s listed on paper .
No talking about the weather or your physical ills or what you watched on TV last night.
I'm sure after he hangs up another call is on hot stand by

Steve has received A LOT of my money in the past 12 months and I'm happy to give it to him. Almost always (except once) ordered by email and usually RECEIVE my parts the day AFTER he confirms my order (it helps to live close to Poughkeepsie.) He not only knows Gottlieb but the other brands as well and has helped me find parts even though I don't always have part numbers (easier to do this over email I imagine - can't hear the displeasure in the typing...) and sometimes even answer emails on the weekend.

Yeah - he'll be getting more of my money soon enough...

viperrwk

Very knowledgable and if you have your order ready or at least a good description you'll get a great response. I've used them a few times and would not hesitate to buy from them again.

Steve takes some time to get used to.
If you are from the South it can come as quite a surprise just how short and to the point he can be.
Back in the early days I ordered all my stuff from him. Some calls went great, and others I could only hang up, shaking my head at what had just occurred.
Now a days I love the fancy web pages that make ordering parts a dream.
Glad to hear Steve is still out there doing his thing though.

I realize this thread hasn't been touched in 2 1/2 years... but I think something needs to be addressed:

Steve Young has no succession plan.

Many vendors buy their parts from PBR. Oftentimes because the only source for them are created in Steve's warehouse on legacy tools. Hand-stamped parts. Coils wound by hand. Et cetera.

Steve has over 50,000 customers and his operation is a singular sprawling warehouse with 10 million parts inside. Much like Tim at PHOF, Steve calls his own shots, lives his own life, makes no apologies, and works 80+ hours a week doing it.

If you examine the history of pinball, you will find a small handful of people who have stepped up to the plate to keep pinball alive and evolving. Steve is one of these people. His operation in Poughkeepsie is a major nerve center of our hobby. He keeps prices low and availability as broad as possible. He is the Amazon of pinball... and yet... only one man.

Which worries me for the future.

Yes, pinball will go on without him, but it will be more expensive and more difficult to keep things running. Particularly the older EM's. True, 3D printing may eventually fill the gap, but the technology isn't there yet and will likely never replace the durability and cost-effectiveness of injection molding and hot-stamping parts on the cheap.

Pinball is just like the classic car hobby... it's all about parts. Parts parts parts.

I'm glad Steve is soldiering on in the cold northeast for all of us. I just wish he would be there forever for the next generations to come.

In the meantime, I'm on a mad dash to buy up my favorite EM's and restore them ASAP before Willy Wonka's factory gates lock up for good.

Steve is a great guy. I told him right off the bat I was an idiot and didn't know a damn thing and please don't yell at me. Once I got him laughing it was clear sailing. At times he's explain the history of a machine for me. I'd order, and, as mentioned, the order was in my mailbox in a day or two.
Credit cards? Bah...! he sends you an actual invoice! It took me a while to even FIND my checkbook!
Was sad to hear he didn't want to do conventions anymore.

I have had no problems with Steve, and yes he would rather you have the right part numbers from you when you call. He is very helpful and does know his pinball parts well.

Did he specifically tell you he had no succession plan? If true, his estate will inherit the business/inventory and it would probably be sold to one of the other suppliers I'd think.

I'm not too worried about it.