advice needed to purchase an American pinball

[chrisg]

I have been toying around with buying an American pinball machine. I know that some of you, such as Gwarzin and mr. fixx have experience with these. Do you know of any resources that could help me make a good decision?

Let me give a specific example. The local classified ad paper lists a Bally Dixieland bingo machine for $500. It's listed as "location ready", whatever that means to the seller. What would you be looking for if you were checking out this electro-mechanical model? Is this a poor choice for a beginner?

Any advice is appreciated!

[RKnarr01]

i believe by location ready it means that its in working order and ready to be played.

[logicprobe]

A bingo machine... cool.
Those have a lot of relays, if I'm not mistaken. At least that's what I think I heard ticking when I played them so much... years ago. They were probably before any electronic controls... certainly they were before digital and processors... we didn't know what the heck those even were back then. :wink:

See if you can play it first, before making the purchase.
I doubt there would be much of a call for them at arcades these days... probably just for collectors. $500 might not be a bad price... I would go that much if it was in good shape, but that's just me.

But a bingo machine doesn't have flippers, kickers, etc.
Just holes and posts.

Location ready could mean working and playable on these... it might also mean (for these type of machines especially) that a "knock down" switch can be connected. Places would use that to clear credits... and pay out... under the table, or course. 8-)

[Ken Layton]

Check your local state laws first. In some jurisdictions a 'bingo' pinball machine is considered a gambling device and is illegal.

[chrisg]

Thanks for everyone's help so far. I'm curious about the reliability of vintage models. Are the repair bills going to be higher than the machine's initial cost? I am not mechanically inclined, and I would not be able to fix major problems myself.

[gwarzin]

You might not have to worry about the legality of the bingo machine. While it might be illegal to have it in a public location, in many states they are OK because they are old enough to be antique collectables.

But, because they are so old, it is very difficult to find people that can fix them. So you have to be prepared to do it all yourself. And these things are much more complicated than a normal pinball machine.

As far as playing, if you are into old gambling machines, they are fun, but if you are really looking for a pinball machine that friends and family will like to play you are better off sticking with a real pinball machine; that is, something with flippers and a lot of action. Bingos are really just gambling machines.

[d mowery]

Yea 2 flippers ,5 balls and only cost a nickle , Brings back the youth, now looking for a ol bally myself

[Frank A]

I buy and sell and repair pinball games. The older style are the electromechanical and the newer ones are solid state. There are two books that will help you get started. Larry Bieza's Pinball Price Guide, 7th Edition and the Mr. Pinball Pinball List & Price Guide 2005 are great to have as reference guides. Both books are available at PBResource.com. The old style Bingo games usually do not have flippers and are not much fun to play. Location ready means that if you were a vendor and had a route, you could put it out on location and make money with it. Nobody would play the old bingo machines on location in todays market. They are strictly collectables. This term is rarely used. A machine is either " shopped " or unshopped. Shopped means that the machine has been checked out for operational issues, the rubbers and lamps have been replaced and the playfield has been cleaned and waxed and is generally defect free and playable. The two books talk about all aspects of the games and give the values. Contact me privately at fara3@optonline.net and I will give you my phone number and we can chat. Frank A

[Ken Layton]

There's an excellent book on bingo pinballs. It's called, "Bally Bingo Pinball Machines" by Jeffrey Lawton (ISBN 0-7643-0874-2).

[mr. fixx]

I collect American pinball machines myself I got 17 of them... hehehehe

For you, a bingo machine wouldn't be to practical.. they are HARD to work on.. Being Electromechanical. they have LOTS of wiring and LOTS of relays... Contacts on these go bad, get corroded, and are hard to diagnose.. I also agree what was said earlier, Bingo machines are boring.. No action at all.. Unless you LIKE bingo machines, they generally are not the type of pinball you would normally collect... Bingo machines are about the same to diagnose and repair as Electromechanical pinball machines, they use the same parts.. Solid State machines are easier to work on, but too can have hard to fixx problems..

I would purchase a Solid State machine if I were you... One of the things I would do too is PLAY before buying if at all possible.. The most important reason for this is so you can see for yourself if your going to like the game, and its operational condition. But as with most older machines, either Solid state or Electromechanical, things do break down... For a pinball machine, this is inevitable since its loaded with moving parts and motors.. However, there are plenty of resources for pinball machines on the Internet, and parts.

First, check the playfield for wear.. This is VERY common.. Unless your going to restore the machine, which I doubt your going to, stay away from a machine with excessive playfield wear.. Not only is playfield wear unsightly, it effects game play as well...

Next, check the displays.. Do all the LED segments light? are the bright? if the machine has a Dot Matrix Display (Large screen) see if it works 100 percent, or has burn in or just doesn't look right...

Also play the game and see how it behaves.. Does it make strange noises, , are the flippers responsive or are they weak?

With electromechanical machines, most of the above holds true.. Look for playfieold wear, do the scoring reels work properly....

I have pinball machines from all eras basically.. I love them all.. Some people have preferences...

If you want any more help, just ask...

Fixx

[azlew]

For all the above books and resources and more : pickup a current copy of Gameroom Magazine. Lots classified ads and display ads +++.

[chrisg]

This is all great info! Thanks a lot. It seems that if I buy one of these, I need to be prepared for repair bills.

[Tulsa]

You could always buy a Pachinko! 8-)

[mr. fixx]

Actually, Pachinko Machines far and away are more reliable than American Pinball machines..

But I love both..

Grew up with both...

My earliest memories are of my Nishijin Pachinko and Bally's Dixieland Pinball machine.. (Not the bingo machine)

We ALWAYS had that pachinko, But the pinball machines came and went...

Today, I have 17 American Pinball machines and 10 Pachinko Machines..

Life is Indeed GOOOD..

Fixx