Pins and Needles, Los Angeles

shutyertrap

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 14, 2012
7,334
0
Me and a buddy went and played some real live pinball tonight at a place called Pins and Needles near downtown L.A.

You can check out the website here www.pinsandneedlesla.com

The big positive was that parking was not an issue. Not only was there lots of it, but you didn't have to pay for it. The location is an oddity, as the building is mostly used as rehearsal space for musicians. There's hallways everywhere with lots of doors, and each one of those had music coming out of 'em. There was a vending machine that amongst the candy and chips also had drumsticks and guitar strings! Anyways, behind one of those doors was Pins and Needles. Basically its a loading dock with pinball machines. A big roll up garage door was opened to the street, it's nothing but concrete inside, and there is a raised platform leading into the building. Not at all what I was expecting, felt very much like I was playing in someone's garage.

All the machines are owned my Molly (I think that's her name) and she was there playing the machines along with everyone else. There was a change machine for dollar bills, but if you needed a 5 broke, she took it, opened up the coin door to a non working table, and pulled out a little pill bottle like container that had 5 bucks worth of quarters in it! Once done, she asked you toss the container in a big ol' trophy cup that was from a pinball tournament. Quirky, but cool. I should mention that there were tables also in the lobby of the building and near the bathrooms down the hall.

Okay, enough of that. How was it playing real tables for a change?

In a word, odd. I'm spoiled by digital perfection. First table we played was Rollergames. Plunged the ball full power and it didn't make it up the ramp. Uh oh. Hit the up kicker that send the ball to the middle flipper and was told "dont' flip!" so I didn't. Magnet failed to catch the ball though! Uh oh again. Caught the ball with the left flipper, and it started rolling to the right. Big uh oh. Table obviously wasn't leveled. To say the least, wound up being a short game.

That in a nutshell was my night. These are things you have to contend with in the real world of pinball, where tables aren't 100% and tuned to perfection. Still, lots of fun to be had.

Next played Future Spa. Table is comically slow. It was right next to Funhouse, and the degree of table angle was shockingly different. Future Spa was bordering on perfectly flat it seemed! I joked that it was like playing in slow motion. So used to using twitch reactions to save balls from going where you don't want them to, my timing was completely off for this table. Also add in the fact this one had the ball drifting left. I couldn't aim to save my life either. Table made me feel like a complete moron. Wheeeee!

After that was Black Rose. It was level, seemed in good condition. I tried using all my TPA skills only to get completely skunked by my buddy who was just randomly flipping. This was also my first exposure of the night to the ball making drastic turns due to slight imperfection in the playfield. On this particular table it was right by the flipper, the cannon that turns and the inset lights. Ball would roll over those and jank left or right hard. Talk about not something that would happen digitally. We just laughed though, the randomness of it all.

Now I should mention, cause it greatly affected the next two tables played, that all the lights were shut off inside the garage space. So we're playing Jak*Bot, and when you hit the targets in front of the visor, the table strobes, go black for a moment, then lights up again. Well in that space of time your ball goes from being at the top of the table to being right in front of the flippers, traveling while the table went dark and your eyes were adjusting to the strobe. Similarly Funhouse is extremely hard to keep track of the ball in the dark due to its bright flashes. Complain all you want about tables being maybe too dark on the consoles in TPA, this was down right nasty!

Oh and by the way, Funhouse slaughtered me. I barely scored 3 million while in TPA I routinely break 30 without much effort. Just brutal.

Next played Gottlieb's Spiderman. At first I felt right at home since the flippers were layed out exactly as Black Hole. That's not the only similarity, as my game was extremely short thanks to some nasty ball drains. Oh well.

Moving on, played White Water. What a fun table, even if I had no clue what was going on. Had a really fun multiball on this one and I LOVE that left waterfall ramp.

Played Flash, then Jungle Queen. I was bumping the hell outta Jungle Queen and never tilted. Can really tell those old EM's like a good push and shove!

Tron was there, so got to play something current. After playing all these older tables in various conditions of play, hopping onto something that is practically brand new was strange. Closest thing to how play in TPA is, wound up being the only table I earned a replay on all night.

After that played Genius from Gottlieb Premier. This has got to be the ugliest table I've ever seen. The back glass looks like an unintentional Roger Corman movie tribute. The ramps are Pepto Bismol pink. The digital scoreboard is tiny and looks like it belonged on a scientific calculator. I mean look it up on IPDB, its horrendous looking.

Finished up the night playing Laser War, which if it wasn't for Genius, would have been the normal winner of the 'Ugly Table' award. Spectacularly bad 80's sci-fi themed back glass with a Frankenstein monster in an aerobics outfit!

And there ya have it. There for a little under 2 hours, total of $6 spent. There were a few tables we didn't bother playing, cause they were those very flat tables like Future Spa that held little interest to us. I had really been hoping the tables were in better shape, but at least everything on the tables worked. Tables that weren't level though kinda blew the fun for. As much as I like Rollergames, I only played it once because the level was really bad. Tables were all 50 cents too, which seemed a bit much, but I guess is also understandable these days. This is essentially a person renting a space for her personal collection and letting complete strangers come and play too. Pins and Needles doesn't hold a candle to Tim Arnold's Pinball Hall of Fame, but then it's only 25 miles from my house as opposed to the 350+ I'd have to drive to play in Vegas. That right there means the next time I need a pinball fix, Molly will be getting another visit.
 

Fungi

Active member
Feb 20, 2012
4,888
2
I think you meant "Genesis", and god yes, a lot of those "Premiere" tables were butt ugly.
 

Matt McIrvin

New member
Jun 5, 2012
801
0
Hmm. interesting: people obviously deep, deep in the Eighties trying to do a tribute to a Twenties vision of the future. I can see what they were shooting for, though it wasn't entirely successful (that awful backglass particularly).
 

shutyertrap

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 14, 2012
7,334
0
Ha! Genesis, not Genius, yes. I was thinking mad scientist, not beginning of creation. Should've realized why there was a photocopy picture of the rock band taped to the back glass!
 

SKILL_SHOT

Banned
Jul 11, 2012
3,659
1
Next time bring a level and a open end wrench 9/16". I want a keychain with that size and a level built in exactly for these scenarios, ofcoarse if the operator set them like that they might not like it...F'em! :) Glad you had fun and if you go again PICTURES please.
 

Animator_pin_fan

New member
Mar 4, 2012
183
0
I think Pins and Needles is a great place. And it's probably the biggest open to the public collection around LA. Sure she doesn't have a ton of newer tables, but the tables there seemed very well maintained. But if the angle of any of the tables was in your opinion, in question, just ask Molly about it. She's super cool & friendly, and she personally maintains all of the tables there herself, and she's a really great pinball player at that. I bet she could beat most of us here on any real table anywhere.



Next time bring a level and a open end wrench 9/16". I want a keychain with that size and a level built in exactly for these scenarios, ofcoarse if the operator set them like that they might not like it...F'em! :) Glad you had fun and if you go again PICTURES please.
 

shutyertrap

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 14, 2012
7,334
0
But if the angle of any of the tables was in your opinion, in question, just ask Molly about it.

I didn't question whether the angle was correct, I'm sure it was. I was just laughing at how when looking at it side by side, Future Spa to Funhouse, that FS looked practically flat. I mean, that ball was in no hurry whatsoever!! My friend doesn't bump tables at all, so I'd see the ball heading for the outlane and could do a 3 second count down before it got there! I was yelling, "bump it! bump it!" and he just watched like a dear in headlights.

It was my first time there, so I didn't wanna make a fuss to Molly about the tables that weren't level. The tables were certainly maintained better than most of the tables I've come across in local bowling alleys, but I think some had playfield issues that only a full shopping would fix. Like I said, ball would roll over a light insert and suddenly change direction or jump up a little cause things weren't perfectly smooth. But flipper strength was all good, and mechanically everything seemed good on what we played. Except for that damn magnet on Rollergames.
 

shutyertrap

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 14, 2012
7,334
0
I expected 50 cents for the more modern tables, but not for the EM and late 70's tables.

And yeah, I shoulda taken pics. I brought my GoPro with me, but left it in the car for whatever reason. Next time I'll snap pics for sure.
 

Matt McIrvin

New member
Jun 5, 2012
801
0
50 cents for a circa-1980 solid-state table is a more-than-reasonable inflation adjustment, if they were a quarter a play back then. According to

http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

a quarter back then was actually closer to 75 cents today.

At Pinball Wizard in NH, the early solid-state machines (and even some of the DMD ones, including Twilight Zone!) are 50 cents (well, two tokens, which is 50 cents minus volume discounts). Most of the DMD tables are 75 cents, and Medieval Madness is a dollar, but I didn't see any others that are. The Eighties videogames are still a quarter a pop.

The actual prices are on stickers, but the older tables have the original prices listed on the coin slots. The amusing one is Space Invaders, which has a third slot offering 7 plays (or was it 5?) for a Susan B. Anthony dollar ("SBA"). That dates the table pretty precisely. I suppose if it were still set that way, the Sacagawea/presidential dollar coins would probably work, because they were designed to be backward-compatible.

At Funspot, all of the pinballs are a quarter a play, but they're not in as good shape.
 
Last edited:

Gord Lacey

Site Founder
Staff member
Feb 19, 2012
1,991
3
I've been to LA a ton of times, and never thought to look for a pinball place. I know where I'm going next time I'm in town (there, and In-n-Out).
 

shutyertrap

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 14, 2012
7,334
0
I've been to LA a ton of times, and never thought to look for a pinball place. I know where I'm going next time I'm in town (there, and In-n-Out).

Here's the address to the closest In-N-Out to Pins and Needles...

310 N. HARVEY DR.
GLENDALE, CA 91206

It's not really that close though :(
 

shutyertrap

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 14, 2012
7,334
0
I don't eat my veggies, so Double Double ketchup mustard only works just fine for me. Couldn't do 4 patties.
 

Gord Lacey

Site Founder
Staff member
Feb 19, 2012
1,991
3
It's not really that close though :(

When it comes to In-N-Out, close doesn't matter ;)

When my wife and I got married in Vegas 3 years ago, we left the Venetian, went along the strip, stopped at In-N-Out and then went to the Pinball Hall of Fame. Talk about a perfect day.
 

SKILL_SHOT

Banned
Jul 11, 2012
3,659
1
I got 3 within 20 minutes...and 2 of the 3 even closer:( not bragging but I am from SOCAL its the only thing I have left to remind me, dam trees:)
 

Pinball Molly

Pins and Needles
Oct 1, 2012
4
0
Hi, I run Pins and Needles. Thank you for coming in, though I'm sorry you didn't like it. The best thing about your visit was the parking? Ouch.

Couple of things, in my defense. First off, Rollergames is level; I checked top and bottom and it's level. Is it the L/R leveling you mean? Or the pitch (steepness) of the playfield? Some of the pitches are steep, for sure; the LA Pinball League meets there weekly so I like to vary the pitches to keep 'em guessing. Different eras of games are designed to pitch differently. A classic Bally like Future Spa isn't going to be as zippy as that FunHouse....so you're saying they shouldn't be next to each other? Haha, okay.

You're complaining about $.50/play? Uh, Future Spa, Jungle Queen, Flash, Scorpion, Laser War, & Bazaar are all on $.25/play, and good luck finding another TRON that's only $.50/play anywhere else in Southern California. Modern pinballs in other locations are running $.75 pretty much across the board, and around here they're essentially unplayable anyway, particularly en masse. Oh, I also keep at least 2-3 games on free play at all times, so folks without money can still try out titles here and there; again, good luck finding someone else who offers free games on location.

As for the lighting...can't help you there. Most people just compliment the beauty of the space I've spent years putting together rather than nitpicking every last detail, so this is a new one. Of course I have overhead lights, but not a soul has ever once asked for me to turn them on for play.

A few tips: if you're plunging the ball out and it repeatedly drains without so much as a flip, try adjusting your plunge a bit instead of just declaring the game "bad". I mean, surely you didn't think real pinball was going to be exactly like poking around on your iPad, right? It takes practice! A lot of these games are over 30 years old, and many were rescued from trips to the dump! Yes, you see a warped insert or two, but to say "you wish everything was in better shape" is actually sort of hurtful. It's pinball. The games are old. You say "everything works on the games" but "you wish they were nicer!"...it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Where are you playing new-in-box condition games that are set up all easy, anyway?

I've spent years assembling a unique collection, and it really bums me out that you can't find anything remotely nice to say about it, save for the fact that you enjoy Whitewater and had little trouble parking your car. I get that every game there isn't for everyone, and I know the spot is atypical, but for you to just bag on the whole experience....yuck. Fortunately I have a loyal core of die-hard pinheads around to soothe the burn!

For future reference, anyone who has a question or a complaint about a game can/should/does come right up to me to ask. I love nothing more than talkin' about the silverball and helping people develop their own interest and skills. I'm always there, flipping away, soldering something, or talking someone's ear off once they engage me in conversation. Not too many people have a bad time in there, it seems, and while I'm sorry your experience was unfavorable, I wish you would've talked to me instead of heading straight for the forums! Oh, well. Hopefully you find a more fun location to spend a few hours in for six dollars!

Oh, and no, don't come in with your own wrench! I have several. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, while the In-N-Out in Glendale is closer, the one at Burbank Blvd. just east of the 5 is much faster and easier to get to. Bring me a cheeseburger with onion and a Neapolitan shake and I'll get ya back!

Pinball pinball pinball! Play more pinball!
 

Matt McIrvin

New member
Jun 5, 2012
801
0
The price discussion inspired me to wonder and poke around some more about historical pinball prices and how they varied with inflation. It appears to me that something close to 75 cents in 2012 money is actually a pretty historically typical price for one pinball game.

In the 1970s, there was high inflation that basically halved the value of a dollar over the course of the decade, and in response, around the time the first solid-state machines came out, pinballs went from two plays for a quarter to one play for a quarter. The result was that in the late '70s the cost of a game returned to roughly $0.75 in 2012 dollars. In the early 1990s, you'd often find them set to 50-cent play, which came to about the same amount.

(It's not entirely apples-to-apples, since the old EMs often gave you five balls... but with the EM style of pinball design, those five balls often didn't last very long!)

If we think of 75 cents or 50 cents as high today... well, that's probably part of the problem with pinball as a financial proposition.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Members online

No members online now.
Top