Does Anyone Own Or Have Owned A Pinball Machine?

[goreds2]

I am thinking about buying a pinball machine for the house.

Does anyone own or have owned one? (or know someone that owns one)

I have seen a single player machine at an indoor flea market in town but that would defeat the purpose if I have company and 2 to 4 players want to play. I would probably opt for a multi-player model. Although with the single player machine, I guess you could play one person at time, write down the score and have the other person play.

The two older models I have seen, the price is reasonable ($350-$400). They both work. I saw online where those machines sell for around $2000 so they seem like a good investment and would not decline in value.

The other thing would be to find someone who could fix these if broken down.

Here is a picture of the single player machine I saw at the indoor flea market yesterday. (not the actual one)

[PyrateSilly]

Find out where the local bars/clubs get their games, pool tables or music players from. If you can't find a label on the machines just ask the bartender who takes care of them. If they want to know why just tell them that you have an old one and need some information.
If you were anywhere near Tampa/Bradenton in Florida I could give you the name of several companies that do that. Thom used to work on them. There are alot of things that can affect the price of one of those things.

[srydve]

I have a Bally machine, the Wizard, it is themed on the rock opera Tommy from the Who. I've owned it for a lot of years and though it seldom gets played I kinda like it and every once in awhile I play a few games. I'm certainly no authority but the way I see it there are two classes, the old electro mechanical type that rely on relays for the operation (like mine) and the newer solid state electronic models. The newer ones play faster and have a lot more features, the older ones are cool if you like older stuff. Some are more collectable than others, do some research, find one you like and enjoy. Heres a bad pic of mine. Good luck

[dsbike]

I have one that is a 4 player. It is called Contact, alien theme. It was made in 1977, is the first one with solid state electronics. My brother gave it to me several years ago. It needed some work so I did a search on repairing them & made some contact with a guy in Canada who was able to repair my broken circuit board & also sold me an update for the battery backup.
If I was going to buy another one I would get multi player & multi ball. They can be a lot of fun. Although mine only seems to get used a few times a year, it is still fun.

[PyrateSilly]

Like I said before, find out from the local bars who they use for their equipment. Those companies fix their stuff so you would have someone close by to fix it if it broke. They could also give you a better idea on the price of the game. They may even have some you could buy.
I know the one the Thom worked for in Florida took care of anything entertainment wise that goes into a bar - pool table, table top games, dart games, music (including speakers), shuffleboard - you name it those places deal with it. Here is one I found in Cincinnati, OH - Pinball Cincinnati, Video Games Cincinnati, Skeeball, Gumball, Pinball Ohio, Jukebox, Pool Tables, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Arcade Games, Slots

[Tha_Rooster]

I have a four player from the 70's still works great,a 45 juke box,arcade gun machine,skee ball, pool table things we do for our kids.

[Fordiesel250]

Had one and I eventually sold it. We had a lot of fun playing it but it sat in our garage for a couple of years because it needed repaired and I did not know anyone who could fix it. Sold it back to the son of the folks we bought it from. It was fun to have and play.

[Monaco38]

Originally Posted by PyrateSilly

Like I said before, find out from the local bars who they use for their equipment. Those companies fix their stuff so you would have someone close by to fix it if it broke. They could also give you a better idea on the price of the game. They may even have some you could buy.

To add to what PyrateSilly said. Most of the local bars do not own their own pinball machines. Since after time interest in a particular machine at a specific location subsides, they are usually owned by the company that services them splitting the take on a percentage basis with the establishment. In this way the service company can rotate machines among the various locations they service keeping the interest and revenue higher with "fresh" games. As a result they almost always have machines they are willing to sell that have from an economic standpoint run their useful exposure. For the personal owner this is the best place to look for a good machine and possible service after the purchase if needed.

[Rodneykrantz]

I have a 1980 model Firepower machine still works great we have a place near
where I live that still sell parts and I think some machines it is

Marco Specialties - Store Front Page

[JadedDancer]

I would love to have one, but have settled for a pinball game for the Wii. It is amazingly realistic, and very fun! And two player option is nice.