Gottlieb · 1989 · Early solid state (1977 to 1990)

Big House

Name: Big House
Brand: Gottlieb

Design: Ray Tanzer · Art: Constantino Mitchell, Pam Erickson, Jeanine Mitchell

Big House is a late Gottlieb, built in April 1989 by Premier Technology, which made games under the Gottlieb name from 1984. Ray Tanzer gave the crime theme a drill auger that lifts the ball and a "blow the bridge" feature that makes a ramp for multiball. Constantino Mitchell drew the translite by hand, and his wife Jeanine did the playfield, plastics and cabinet color work. Only 1,977 were made. Early serial 48021 is a curiosity, with its score displays at the top of the backbox, different art and no ball-and-chain. That puts it between Excalibur, the last run with top displays, and Bad Girls, the first with displays in the translite. Regular Big House games have theirs in the translite.

Early test games (serial 48021, and 48023) with top-mounted score displays, different art and fewer inserts

Spec at a glance

Maker: Gottlieb
Era: Early solid state (1977 to 1990)
Theme: Original themes
Year: 1989
Players: 4
Made: Premier Technology (Gottlieb), April 1989 (model 713)
Design: Ray Tanzer
Art: Constantino Mitchell, Pam Erickson and Jeanine Mitchell
System: Gottlieb System 80B
Display: alphanumeric (MA-999), set into the translite
Production: 1,977 units
Cabinet: standard body, hand-drawn translite, 3 balls installed
Also listed as: Gottlieb Big House, Premier Big House

Bench check

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries: System 80B keeps the System 80 NiCad battery on the CPU board, and a refurbished 80B board may have it removed and an NVRAM module fitted. A CPU board photo tells you which you've got. Boot problems on Big House trace to the backbox fluorescent starter, and removing the starter fixes them.
Display: Big House uses System 80B alphanumeric displays (MA-999), mounted down in the translite. Ghosting or dim characters on these can come from a failed VR1 zener diode. Ask for a video of the attract mode so you can read every character.
Playfield: There are two flippers, three pop bumpers, a 4-bank of drop targets and a kick-out hole. A straight-down playfield photo shows the wear, mostly at the flippers, the inlanes and in front of the drop targets.
Toys and mechs: A drill auger lifts the ball, and a "blow the bridge" feature makes a ramp for multiball, with 2-ball and 3-ball multiball. Ask for a video of the auger lifting a ball and the bridge working. Both should run without sticking.
Cabinet and art: Big House uses a hand-drawn translite. Look at it in the photos for fading and creases. Also ask about the slam switch, because Big House uses normally open slam switches and the usual System 80 slam modification shouldn't be done on it.
Moving it: It's a standard-size Gottlieb cabinet, not a wide-body. Take the legs and the backbox off to move it. Keep the three balls with it, since the game expects three installed.
Parts and code: The Rottendog GPS081 is a direct replacement for the System 80B's MA831 power supply, whose adjustment pot often fails from dirt. Ask whether the power supply is original or a replacement. A replacement is a plus.

Should come with it

Translite
Three pinballs
Coin door keys and backbox key
Manual and schematics

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.

What to check

System 80B games share the System 80 battery, connector and ground problems, and the 80B power supply's adjustment pot fails from dirt. Big House can also refuse to boot because of the backbox fluorescent starter.

01Battery: Ask for a photo of the CPU board. Good looks like no battery on the board, or an NVRAM module, and no corrosion.
02Boot: Ask for a video of the game powering on. It should boot to attract mode every time.
03Displays: Ask for a video of attract mode. Every character should be bright with no ghosting.
04Auger: Ask for a video of the drill auger lifting a ball. It should turn smoothly and deliver the ball.
05Bridge: Ask the seller to show the bridge feature in a game. The ramp should form and multiball should start.
06Translite: Look at the translite in the photos. The hand-drawn art should be bright with no creases.
07Playfield wear: Ask for a straight-down playfield photo. Paint should be intact at the flippers and drop targets.
08Balls: Ask how many balls are in the game. It should have three.

Buying your first one? Red flags in a pinball listing covers the photos and videos to ask for, and the battery corrosion guide shows what leaking batteries do to an old CPU board.

Find one on eBay

We haven’t been through this game’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of a full game, a photo of the CPU board and photos of the playfield in good light, and ask what’s been replaced. Pass on any seller who won’t answer.

Search “Gottlieb Big House pinball” on eBay ↗eBay search

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Maker

Era

Theme

Read

Big House

Design: Ray Tanzer · Art: Constantino Mitchell, Pam Erickson, Jeanine Mitchell

Early test games (serial 48021, and 48023) with top-mounted score displays, different art and fewer inserts

Spec at a glance

Maker

Gottlieb

Era

Early solid state (1977 to 1990)

Theme

Original themes

Year

1989

Players

Made

Premier Technology (Gottlieb), April 1989 (model 713)

Design

Ray Tanzer

Art

Constantino Mitchell, Pam Erickson and Jeanine Mitchell

System

Gottlieb System 80B

Display

alphanumeric (MA-999), set into the translite

Production

1,977 units

Cabinet

standard body, hand-drawn translite, 3 balls installed

Also listed as

Gottlieb Big House, Premier Big House

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries

System 80B keeps the System 80 NiCad battery on the CPU board, and a refurbished 80B board may have it removed and an NVRAM module fitted. A CPU board photo tells you which you've got. Boot problems on Big House trace to the backbox fluorescent starter, and removing the starter fixes them.

Display

Big House uses System 80B alphanumeric displays (MA-999), mounted down in the translite. Ghosting or dim characters on these can come from a failed VR1 zener diode. Ask for a video of the attract mode so you can read every character.

Playfield

There are two flippers, three pop bumpers, a 4-bank of drop targets and a kick-out hole. A straight-down playfield photo shows the wear, mostly at the flippers, the inlanes and in front of the drop targets.

Toys and mechs

A drill auger lifts the ball, and a "blow the bridge" feature makes a ramp for multiball, with 2-ball and 3-ball multiball. Ask for a video of the auger lifting a ball and the bridge working. Both should run without sticking.

Cabinet and art

Big House uses a hand-drawn translite. Look at it in the photos for fading and creases. Also ask about the slam switch, because Big House uses normally open slam switches and the usual System 80 slam modification shouldn't be done on it.

Moving it

It's a standard-size Gottlieb cabinet, not a wide-body. Take the legs and the backbox off to move it. Keep the three balls with it, since the game expects three installed.

Parts and code

The Rottendog GPS081 is a direct replacement for the System 80B's MA831 power supply, whose adjustment pot often fails from dirt. Ask whether the power supply is original or a replacement. A replacement is a plus.

Should come with it

Translite

Three pinballs

Coin door keys and backbox key

Manual and schematics

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.

What to check

01Battery: Ask for a photo of the CPU board. Good looks like no battery on the board, or an NVRAM module, and no corrosion.

02Boot: Ask for a video of the game powering on. It should boot to attract mode every time.

03Displays: Ask for a video of attract mode. Every character should be bright with no ghosting.

04Auger: Ask for a video of the drill auger lifting a ball. It should turn smoothly and deliver the ball.

05Bridge: Ask the seller to show the bridge feature in a game. The ramp should form and multiball should start.

06Translite: Look at the translite in the photos. The hand-drawn art should be bright with no creases.

07Playfield wear: Ask for a straight-down playfield photo. Paint should be intact at the flippers and drop targets.

08Balls: Ask how many balls are in the game. It should have three.

Buying your first one? Red flags in a pinball listing covers the photos and videos to ask for, and the battery corrosion guide shows what leaking batteries do to an old CPU board.

Find one on eBay

Big House

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

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Black Hole

Genie

High Speed

Keep exploring

Big House

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

Haunted House

Black Hole

Genie

High Speed

Keep exploring