Close Encounters EM
Bought: May 2016
Close Encounters is one of the last EM pinball machines made by Gottlieb. CE was introduced October 1978. At the time Gottlieb had already started to make solid state pinball machines. In fact, a majority of the CE pins sold by Gottlieb were in a solid state version and not the elctro mechnaical version. 9,950 solid state Close CE's were made, but only 470 of the EM versions were made, making CE EM a very rare pin. Interestingly, the Close Encounters EM had an option to include solid state sounds (a sound card), instead of standard chimes. The one that I bought had the sound card installed, but the seller provided the chime unit with it. I am now in the process of converting CE to the chime unit. Playing an EM with electronic sounds just does not seem quite right.
Close Encounters
Bought: May 2016
Close Encounters is one of the last EM pinball machines made by Gottlieb. CE was introduced October 1978. At the time Gottlieb had already started to make solid state pinball machines. In fact, a majority of the CE pins sold by Gottlieb were in a solid state version and not the elctro mechnaical version. 9,950 solid state Close CE's were made, but only 470 of the EM versions were made, making CE EM a very rare pin. Interestingly, the Close Encounters EM had an option to include solid state sounds (a sound card), instead of standard chimes. The one that I bought had the sound card installed, but the seller provided the chime unit with it. I am now in the process of converting CE to the chime unit. Playing an EM with electronic sounds just does not seem quite right.
Close Encounters