Well, I pulled the trigger on a Bgold. I hope to be playing it sometime next week if all goes well. Let there be pinball in the Shenandoah Valley!
(Topic ID: 228691)
Linked Games
The Beatles (Diamond Edition)
Stern, 2018-
The Beatles (Gold Edition)
Stern, 2018
-
The Beatles (Platinum Edition)
Stern, 2018
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1 week later
As a new Beatles owner, I'm having trouble locating a ruleset. short of a full treatment, does anyone have a pointer to how the game actually works rule-wise? It seems the multiball on a 3rd plunge is random. and I'm not sure what turns the top magnet off and on.
stuff like that. Help!
Quoted from Cz-czar:Just joined the club today with #179 Platinum edition. Called a local distributor looking for a gold and they had a platinum in stock and offered me a good deal. Delivered and installed this afternoon. What a great game! As a lifetime Beatles fan, this game was a must have for me.
A few observations and questions. Getting to multiball has a nice balance of being somewhat difficult but not too hard. It’s interesting that the Ringo light is off on its own separate from the other 3. Is that a dig on Ringo? John seems a little too tight behind the left spinner. What’s the deal with the channel above the left outlane? Is that an extra path to the jackpot? Is it harder or easier with the pin next to it in the upper position? How do you get to higher levels on a song? Is it normal to hear an audible fan blowing during quiet parts of the game or between games? It’s louder than I would have expected.
Sorry for so many basic questions. Any handy references on the rule set?
Thanks to you all for the pointers. I'll get back on that beast and try to crack a few mil. I'm only one day into this so far. Totally fun game.
It's nice to have a game in my collection that isn't super deep with complicated overlapping modes and secret missions and things. just plunge and go. I like it.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:There's really not much to the rules.
Before you plunge, you can pick your mode (except for all my loving multiball). However, on ball three you CAN pick the multiball, simple as that. You need to make sure AML mode is picked before you plunge. And don't select AML, and then wait 10 seconds to plunge like a total noob, or the mode will change to something else while you are lollygagging.
I hate when noobs do that! Just pick and plunge. Jeez! Is it so hard? Every "select a skill shot" game is like that. Not rocket science! Dear lord.
Besides that, play your mode, then shoot FAB FOUR and it will light the orbits for start mode.
That's pretty much it. Shoot the flashing lights, shoot for what the mode tells you to shoot for etc.
1 month later
So many air-balls, I was worried about the glass shattering. Checked with my distributor and they sent me the air-ball prevention kit. the metal diverter that goes above the FAB targets isn't so good looking, but prevents air-ball induced drains. I wish they'd made it out of plastic. the FOUR target guard should help with that prob too. I haven't installed 'em yet, that's tonight's project.
anti-loft (resized).jpgNice. Looks like it was factory installed...although now that you've told me it covers the entire cover, I can see the thickness change. I think I'll do the same. Really don't like the look of the metal. The artwork is worth the effort.
Quoted from cottonm4:I made a plastic diverter for my friend's Beatles. They are not that hard to make. Get a piece of .020" polycarbonate (Lexan), make your cuts and one bend and you are good to go.
What you cannot see in the picture is that my plastic completely covers the play field plastic all the way up. When you step up to play it is not noticeable.
[quoted image]
1 month later
Quoted from TeeJayN:I think that would be great. There is already a Pinside sub-Forum called RULESHEETS AND CODE and there you could start a topic: The Beatles Rulesheet. As the topic OP you can keep things current with additions and changes.
Objections anybody?
Is this something that has been done, or is in progress? I'd really love to see a complete treatment of the Beatles rules! thanks.
Anyone experiencing airballs from the left slingshot? Not sure why this just started happening, but every couple of games the left sling will hit an airball up over the right sling, over the inlane and either into the shooter lane, or the outlane.
very frustrating. Would this be a simple matter of reducing the coil power? I have not done that before, so maybe I'll just go into the Portals menu and check it out.
Quoted from ZNET:I recommend the speaker light mod from speakerlightkits.com, the Flipper Fidelity enhanced speakers, a shaker motor of your choice, and the slingshot plastic protectors from mezelmods.
The Stern airball protector kit is needed.
I also added a shooter rod plate enhancement, flipper decals, custom score cards, the lunchbox and turntable ornaments. I have a topper on order.
Earlier in this thread, I posted photos or otherwise discuss each of these items. I agree that the stock game is great, plus the airball mod, without anything added.
Nevertheless, the mezelmod plastic protectors are inexpensive and they improve the appearance (add a green hue and remove a black area at the posts). Congratulations! The Beatles is tremendous fun!
2 weeks later
Quoted from TeeJayN:Well, I just got a response from Stern:
"This bug will be taken care of when we do the next software update. Unfortunately I don’t have an ETA on when the update will be."
At least it will be addressed!
It would be nice if Stern put out a timeline for when end-of-support happens for their machines. It seems to be quite whimsical. Good to know they are planning another update though.
2 weeks later
Quoted from RTS:Plus he earned several extra balls. Always go for extra ball before next song as insurance.
How exactly do you 'go for' an extra ball? Catching the ball to roll it backward over the switch in the inlane does not work...the ball stops at the curve. What's the trick?
1 week later
I just finished watching the Pinball Expo session with the Beatles team talking about development of the machine. Very Very cool to hear how complicated the licensing was, and how George re-engineerd the SeaWitch design to have better flow, added targets, magnets, opto spinners...while keeping true to the Seawitch original design.
Any of the vocal Beatles haters out there would be advised to give the video a look, and learn.
I guess Stern did that to add a bit more push to selling the remaining games, I hope they do.
2 months later
Quoted from Yesh23:What does this plastic over the drip actually do? I notice from time to time on mine if the ball gets a little airborne that it’ll hit the top of the plastic and not make it to the drop targets. I’m thinking about removing it but I didn’t know what the purpose off it was
[quoted image]
I had consistent airballs before I installed the plastic shield. the ball would roll over the resetting targets and Wham! It was so bad the ball would hit off the glass and many times land down on the plastic above 'mystery' and roll right down into the drain. There's a ball diverter (metal) for that also.
1 week later
Quoted from TheShadowsNose:Hi there, thinking of making this my first pin. Tried out a bunch at a distributor and this one just kept calling me back. Also really like JP (totally different game, I know) but there is something just magical about this one. Anyone have this as their only pin? How is it holding up replay wise over the long term? I’ve also got a young daughter and wonder how kids are engaging with the theme, gameplay, etc. Any insight would be greatly appreciated (obviously looking for someone to drag me over the finish line, but real talk would be really helpful). Thanks!
I have a small collection with both machines. Beatles is lovely, and fast, and pay attention or your turn is over. JP is more forgiving at the outset but gets complicated quickly. depending on what your decision criteria is...buy JP for the kid and put rubber bands on the outlanes.
Beatles is a major keeper for me for 2 reasons. Integration of Theme/Music/Art. it's beautiful. #2 - The simplicity of the old Seawitch design, modernized, is just speedy fun. not easy fun, speedy fun.
1 month later
I'm a 10 month owner and the game is still incredibly challenging, fun and very accessible. not too many long ball times, so it's great to play with novices.
4 weeks later
Quoted from Scotty_K:I think I'm going to be taking the plunge with Beatles soon (a retirement present to myself; haven't told the mrs. yet... ), but I would like to know what everyone's thoughts are on installing a playfield protector? I know there was some uproar a while ago that the newer Stern playfields are kind of soft and begin showing dimples quite earlier, but others say that after a while things even out. I experienced this on BM66, and although it bothered me at first, now I'm kind of used to it.
Any suggestions?
In my opinion the playfield protector is not worth the effort for a HUO machine. I have had a Beatles for 2000+ games and the playfield looks pristine. Fact is, there are dimples in the playfield but you can't see them during play, only on close inspection, and they have abaolutely no impact on the trajectory of the ball. It's a fact of life. I think the 'dimple wars' are over and most everyone is on board that they are a fact of life.
I guess if you play enough games into infinity, the entire field will dimple...thus making it dimple free again!
3 weeks later
Quoted from Spelunk71:Hi all. This may be more of a Spike 2 general issue but thought I would start here first. While I was in a groove looping some upper flipper loops, I lost complete power—lights, sounds, flippers, display all cut out immediately with no warning. The cooling fan turns on when the power switch is on, but that’s it. Nothing seems out of the ordinary when I looked things over, but I’m not sure where to start troubleshooting. Any ideas? Thanks for any help!
Did you power down and back up again and everything is now fine?
I'm not sure if Stern uses ECC chips, or enables error correction in their code, but if it works well again after the event, it could be (wait for it)a random alpha particle hit on a critical element....and you should be OK. alpha particles are generated by the sun. really.
If it happens reliably, you may have a short somewhere that needs repair.
Or a Power supply issue.
what's happening now?
Quoted from Spelunk71:Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, reseating the SD card (and trying another one) did not help. According to the troubleshooting flowchart, I need to replace the CPU board. I’ll call Stern, but if anyone has other thoughts I’d appreciate it.
that happened to me when I purchased my JP last year. I ended up having to take a video of the cpu during startup sequence. Stern overnighted me a new CPU....it was a 5 minute replacement project.
1 week later
Quoted from RTS:Plus they advertised and sold them all as a deliberate limited run of 1,964. Bogus marketing for sure.
From their press release 10/29/18:
The Diamond Edition, the highest level and most difficult to attain, is limited to only 100 units. The Platinum Edition is limited to only 250 units. The Gold Edition is limited to 1614 units.
But, we don't know how many that they made during the 1st run.
Quoted from RTS:I didn't consider that they'd announce a total number but deliberately produce fewer games.
It's an unusual approach. Seems more costly to run a production line that way when they've committed to a certain number up front.
Agree that it's a great game.
Beatles kicks my ass. I sometimes walk away with 500K shaking my head. Other times 5-6MM and feeling like I actually know how to play.
still waiting for the over 50M game. Extra Balls seem to be the key but they are difficult to win. My inlane wireforms will not allow a caught ball to roll back and up over the extra ball switch, so there's a bit of luck involved with getting and extra ball, and risk in draining in the outlane.
Has anyone been successful with scoring an extra ball with an alley pass?
Quoted from ZNET:... and few buyers could justify the significantly higher price-points of the platinums and diamonds.
Things may have been different if Stern had baked a couple of new toys/modes/features into the platinum and diamond editions. I was happy to buy a gold because at the end of the day...ya don't play artwork. the playfield and rules work exactly the same on all 3 models.
Plus, I think the Gold looks great and I got a killer deal from my distributor in the middle of last year... I think they wanted to unload a pin that was just sitting around with little demand.
Quoted from MrCleanHead:Quick questions for you guys. Is this a standard stern cabinet? When I see pictures next to other newer sterns it looks smaller (shorter). The reason Im asking is that I have a outback and cant transfer a standard stern and close the hatch. My TNA fit fine but tight.
Thanks
Rob
Same cabinet as all the modern Sterns.
2 months later
Quoted from cleanandlevel:ah didn't know, thought that 14k was insane and I could find a better deal, oh well...
were there any issues with the playfield run on these? or any issues in general I need to be aware of coming out of the box?
None here. Beautiful playfield, not one issue in the 1+ year I've had mine. There is a known issue with airballs. Happens when the ball is on the dropped target bank when it resets. A kit from Stern to fix issue is available thru your distributor. 5 minute install. works great.
1 month later
I find it hard to believe that this game ranks only #83 on Pinside. It sure didn't get a lot of love due to the price when it was released, but the artwork, the redesign of SeaWitch and the theme should bring it into the top 50.
If you love this game, and have not given a rating please consider doing it.
1 month later
Quoted from Pinball-Ike:By all that is hopeful and holy, I really, really want to see an update that eliminates the uncollectible extra ball bug! This is a great nugget, thanks for sharing!
Congratulations and enjoy the new machine, we love ours!
What version code are you running that claims to fix the extra ball bug? When I light EB and drain, it does not stay lit for my next ball.
Quoted from Rpabech:1 - Stern website also shows 1.10. But my machine shows 1.15. I sent an email to Ster to clarify
2 - I did contact them, will wait for the response. I saw they had a kit that will include a FOUR drop targets acrylic, but funny enough my major issue is with the FAB drop targets (sometimes the ball will hit the glass pretty strong). Just trying to avoid damage to the playfield long term
3 - Ok, I was not planning to, but wanted to feel what was the consensus of the group.
4 - I do not like to change factory settings unless there is a good reason. if not going to change the number of air balls I will get, I will keep like it is.
P.S: Also, my 25c coin recall button came inverted. I tried to fix it but the C washer that locks the button in place is different from the other machines and much more tighter and smaller. So plyers do not work. I asked Stern for a replacement part.
Thanks
One thing you may want to consider changing in the adjustments menu is the timer for each of the song modes. I foud 30 seconds was simply too hard to accomplish a song mode. I changed mine to 45 seconds and can now complete song modes at least every once in a while.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Sparky:There's also the "unofficial" topper.
[quoted image]
And another home made topper! Has color changing LEDs and 3D one-of-a-kind modeled bandmates.
beatles topper (2) (resized).JPGQuoted from cjpins:Just couldn't help myself. Had to do it.
[quoted image]
Had to what, turn the machine off? LOL! 
1 week later
Quoted from Tsskinne:So after looking at my beatles spinning disc issues closer it seems the problem is when the magnet is engaging causing the disc to pop up. I was curious how much other peoples discs are doing this when the magnet engages. I would say my disc is moving 1/4 or so every time this happens. I sent the video to Stern and they have told me this is normal and I need to lower my disc. This seems odd to me based on other machines I've played.
Here is the video I took of the disc moving. It definitely helps if you play it back at .25 speed on youtube so you get a clear view of the gap that is happening when the magnet engages.
That does not look like normal mechanics. My record spins without popping up and down like that.
Quoted from Tsskinne:Thanks, and I assume your magnet is engaging?
Yup. magnet works fine. disk spins smoothly and on plane with the playfield.
Quoted from Tsskinne:Stern agreed after sending them this thread and your picture. They are taking care of me. Thank you for the extra effort in taking yours apart to check for that possibility. It would be great to find that spring washer size so we could keep some extras on hand. [quoted image]
Pablo rocks. He has taken care of me in the past quickly and satisfactorily. Glad you got it worked out.
Quoted from VALIS666:Hm. I've had the three alt sound mods downloaded and sitting on my hard drive forever, but never went through with it. The whole pin from the art to the callouts to the videos is all about pre-'67 Beatles, so it just seems like psychedelic Beatles music would seem so out of place. Anyone have a video of this with one of the alt sound mods? I'd love to see it.
The music/vid mods are really cool, but the only thing that is a bit off is that the call-outs still refer to the original song names, not the new ones, and the text on the playfield doesn't match the songs either. But the video clips are very well curated and the songs are well chosen. .02
1 week later
Quoted from MrCleanHead:From my understanding only the trim and art are different between models, everything else is the same. i dont know about the plaque.
There is no number on my Gold that I am aware of...
and you're right, all three trim levels are identical game-play wise.
Quoted from ZNET:I hear that the cabinets are constructed with Norwegian wood. ;>
Nice touch.
2 weeks later
Quoted from RebelGuitars:Shouldn't the Prem kit fit?
I asked Melissa at Cointaker a couple weeks back....Beatles will require a special kit and it's not avail yet.
Stern may be building the recent Beatles batch with IC kits installed. That's what happened when they dropped the new JP code with IC built in.
2 weeks later
Quoted from stevevt:The Pinball Life headphone jack kit...
Anybody know if there is a bluetooth-enabled headphone kit available from any vendors? Seems archaic to have to use wired headphones these days.
Quoted from stevevt:You can always add something like this to any of the headphone kits.
amazon.com link »
I get that, and thanks. but I don't want any dongles just hanging off the coin door! It would be cool to have a BT audio shim within the cab itself.
Quoted from livetowin:Toying with picking up a gold and parting with my LZ premium.
you won't be sorry if you do. I've played a LZ Premium at Flippers in OBX. while a good solid stern title, it just didn't do it for me.
not enough variety of shots.
Beatles,while only a single-level playfield, has LOTS to keep you occupied as it's a wide open playfield, cool loop, 4 flippers (staged at that) and can get fast as lightening. Short game times compared to the other games in my collection, which is actually a real benefit sometimes. song modes are linked to shot types....pops, targets, spinners, orbits
Not to mention that the artwork and supporting color scheme are drop-dead beautiful in my opinion.
I think I'll go play a game right now....
3 weeks later
Quoted from Psw757:They really should give the customer the option to have this or not.
In my opinion they are making the aprons look like shit. Not everyone wants to be connected.
What's with the red? totally clashes with one of the best color schemes in modern pinball. uck.
3 weeks later
Quoted from John-Floyd:Hello all - seriously contemplating getting a NIB Beatles gold edition. only been into pinball for a year and I currently have MET, LZ, GNR, and Rush - all newer style games. Also a big fan of the early Beatles, how are owners feeling about this game after owning it for a while? Long term replay value w enough variety of shots ect? Is it a nice change of pace for a guy who loves Rock pins? I tried Halloween to mix things up and ended up hating it, but i think it would maybe be nice to have an old school style game, no? Never played an EM, but something intrigues me about the Beatles simple layout… Someone Talk me into buying this thing haha!
I love having a Beatles in my small collection. The game seems simple on the surface, but once you plunge the first ball there is nowhere to hide, and no breaks...no scoops, no locks, no break in the action at all. It's a very good addition to a modern collection. My non-pinball-fanatic friends that come over like it better then the very complicated JP and TSPP.
Also it is, IMO, one of the most beautiful machines Stern has ever made.
buy one, your investment likely won't lose much value if any.
1 week later
Quoted from PinMonk:Here's a couple I made a few years ago after Paul's interview where he talked about his and John's "special" relationship...
Click on them to get the full-res PDF that's printable.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Very nice looking, but you have "Drop 1-196-4 targets ..." on there twice!
Does the red contrast with the pastels color scheme?
3 weeks later
Quoted from ryanparr:Thank you. Will contact another person at Stern. Love the game but the quality with Stern is a bit poor. If you see my other posts, they added the wrong color side rails to my Beatles pin NIB. That's crazy!
my distributer sent me the air ball deflector kit...call your distributor if you can't get any satisfaction from Stern.
Quoted from pinnyheadhead:Thalia Cruz from Stern hooked me up and sent a pic beforehand. [quoted image]
pasted_image (resized).png 1 month later
Quoted from Meegis:She's all set up
[quoted image]
Congrats! that blue under-cab light looks great.
1 month later
I think I found the 4th secret skill shot.
from the left lower flipper shoot over the 'skill shot' rollover hard enough to make it up to the loop and back down to the upper right flipper.
5 months later
I just had an issue crop up with my 1.23 code not giving the extra ball. It appears to award the extra ball, the shoot again insert lights up solid, but when the ball drains it just goes to the next player, or to the end of the game if ball 3. Anyone seeing this behavior or know what could cause it?
1 week later
Quoted from beatlecraig:You might consider 1.24 which is available now.
That worked! thanks!
Quoted from thekaiser82:Feb 25 can’t come soon enough. Probably should put these dates in my Google calendar so I don’t forget to play the game on those days.
Go in and change the date to Feb 25...then flip away!
Quoted from scottieIA:I have Insider Connected. I don't think I can change the date in the Utilities menu anymore. I looked and couldn't find it.
Do you find Insider Connected's pros outweigh the cons for a Beatles pin? They don't cost a lot, but I didn't see a good justification for putting one in....plus I use the 'alternative' music/vid mods occasionally which are based on older code.
1 week later
Quoted from Hawks:Does anyone else just prioritise going for extra ball during the entire game and kinda let the song mode expire?
I’ve found this to be the simplest way to reach HDN multi ball
Then I can go back and try to complete song modes (whilst still seeking out extra balls) for the TM wizard mode
It's a valid strategy, but I find it better ...at least on the first ball...to clear the Pop Bumpers mode first. That combined with an extra ball will usually get you to HDN multi.
Quoted from RTS:Really depends if your goal is a killer score or just HDN mb.
My priority order for a high score (which also includes HDN and TM) is:
1. Focus on mode until time expires (hopefully complete it, but levels are still saved for later attempts)
2. Complete drops to qualify next mode and light extra ball.
3. Attempt to start next mode
4. Attempt to collect EB
I never just focus on EB first and foremost. Playing through modes will get you a higher score. If the mode expires, set up for the next one.
If you get good at multiple modes per ball, the EB is less critical (however still valuable for its additional free mode.)
Steps 3 and 4 are basically simultaneous, but you get further if you try to max the mode count with each ball, rather than just getting one mode with each ball, and relying on extras to play more modes.
The order you play modes is personal preference. I usually play Drive My Car first, and All My Loving at the end.
Oh, and practice the 2 spinner shots until you have them down. It makes the difficult spinner mode easier to tackle over time, and VERY helpful during multiball as switchcount is what advances thru the levels.
1 week later
Quoted from njvc:Here is my second re-theme for The Beatles Pinball - Abbey Road! This re-theme is once again using code version 1.20, and should be compatible with all 3 models.
Preview Video:
https://vimeo.com/786132524
You can access the download link here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-beatles-album-re-themes[quoted image]
I appreciate you posting these custom code mods. but I'm used to seing a .RAW format. What's the process for creating a SD card with an .img file?
Quoted from beatlecraig:Also, I haven't figured out what the Special (red light and knock) award is. Is it only something that would be used in coin-op mode in an arcade?
Special awards a free game. In Free play mode, it doesn't really do anything. I believe there is a setting to allow special to award an extra ball.
1 month later
Quoted from chewiec:Officially joined the club finally this past weekend! Such a fantastic game and glad to be a part of the club. Probably going to wear out the start button. So addicting.
I'm curious if the rumors are true that there are still a lot of NIB Beatles machines at distributors. Did you buy new?
9 months later
Quoted from TeeJayN:I love my Beatles and I love my Stranger Things Premium. They are both Keepers and will remain in my lineup. They are very different, but to me, that's what makes them both so entertaining. I love both themes, and both can certainly kick my butt, but at Game Over I always walk away smiling!
right. Both games are good and give a different mood, playing style and vibe. Beatles is faster. much faster.
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