Part of the thrill of the Pro Bowlers Tour was house nuance - to see how each house was equipped. Today - Pro Bowling is "world wrestling" - a cheese job. Friend - it just ain't what it was...
@thesmart67 I so agree. With the same annoying set and covers over everything the houses loose their uniqueness. Granted with the stuff now it wouldn't be as prevalent as in years past but it still looks the same week after week on tour now
I misunderstood you. Those Geico ball return covers - sponsor boxes... I thought you meant Astro Line ball returns. Duh... I like the current Brunswick ball returns now, tasteful... Lean and trim - clearly Brunswick. I do miss the classic Gold Crown stuff.
@thesmart67 Yeah, those sponsor boxes are terrible, I can't stand them. The current returns do look nice but I have 2 issues with them. The cheap plastic they're made of which cracks a lot. So many centers I go to they have huge cracks on them. Also the reset buttons, they're way in the front which as a bowler is a pain and they also stick. Many mechs I know have had issues with that
Now that's a vintage house, eh? You will have to grab some photos... =) I liked the "B" and the rakes. Odenton had these deck shields right up to the end on its A models. Some of the rakes still had the Brunswick script. Still had mechanical triggering too. Ball would hit the pit cushion too hard and stall the machine. =)
@thesmart67 Newer 2 tier masks and Frameworx scoring but the machines are the real deal. I think the only conversions on those machines is the quick rake drop (which works on some lanes anyway) and some lanes have had A2 style cushions installed. Aside from that pretty much straight A's
Yeah - I was never impressed with the JetBack covers. Odenton got them around 1967. Astro Line was probably the most produced Brunswick line there was. Even more than Gold Crown. The Astro Line lift covers were - well - strange... 2000? Didn't say much.
@thesmart67 The Jetback covers are ok with me. The machine difference is what made the JetBack sweet! I do like the B2000 hoods. They're small, neat and durable
Lets take it a step further. What's with Astro-Line??? By that time, the space thing was old news. And Brunswick 2000??? How many ways can you cover up a ball lift? Do you like that "cool" Geico ball lift cover??? Blllllieeeeack!!!
@thesmart67 lol. They made a lot of Astroline stuff. The JetBack conversion was named that cuz of all the air related things going on at the time. Those covers on the tour are TERRIBLE. All they do is get in the way and get banged around. If you're gonna make the guys get in so deep that it's a factor don't make the ball return hood larger! Looks awful as well lol
Know what I didn't care for? The A-2 logo on the deck shield with two crowns - I could have done better than that. The big Brunswick "B" looked sharp. As time went on - more cheesy with the white A-2. Oh well...
I like bowling the classic way - telescores, grease pencils, transparencies, machine switches and frame counters, vintage masking units with BRUNSWICK across the mask, the gold grown, the big "B" logo on the deck shield, etc, etc, etc. They gave centers character. When Odenton closed, I was stunned. Always thought it would all go on forever.
Were I going to open a bowling center today, it would be nostalgic. Pie in the sky. I mean real nostalgia. Someone somewhere has all that stuff warehoused from the 1950s and 60s.
When I lived in West Tennessee, there was a house in Mayfield, Kentucky - Red Bird Lanes - that was all original Brunswick Gold Crown masks, returns, telescores with A-2s. It was a time warp up until the late 1990s. It was like new - 1962 all over again. It was a well-kept house. They sold the house and the owners gutted the place. Automatic scoring, modern masks, disappointing...
@thesmart67 Sad, so many houses go this route. I hate to see it as well but the open bowler which many centers are catering to anymore all like this stuff. Not many old school bowlers left!
It is interesting. Did you know China makes an AMF 8270/8290 knockoff? Hey - who was it who made duckpin machines (not Sherman) way back when? Had a sweep like an AMF and a rack more or less like a Brunswick. Sweep went up and the rack came down and set pins. Can't help but notice how trashed duckpin houses are now. Barely hanging on.
@thesmart67 They make a few which I haven't heard much good about. All junk hardware, especially on the Via's. Did Bowl-Mor make a duck setter? I know they made regular tenpin and candle as well
I am surprised there are new centers anymore. In Lakeland back in 1985, someone opened a new center on the west side with refurbished A-2s in brown. Brunswick 2000... In 1986 in St. Charles, MO - we had a new AMF house with 8270s.
@thesmart67 There are, just not many and certainly not any near me! Some do open with refurb machines but not very many. They all like the shiny new plastic junk... YUCK! lol
When I lived in Central Florida, we had two Fair Lanes houses. One was a Fair Lanes new with Fair Lanes masks and Astro Line returns. It was Fair Lanes Lakeside. The other was a house Fair Lanes bought, Fair Lanes Lakeland, which had Astro masks. Instead of "Brunswick" on the masks, it had Fair Lanes. Also had Astro returns.
Seems everyone got on the bowling bandwagon. You could find multiple centers in the same community. Odenton had two. Glen Burnie had THREE - one all duckpins on two floors. They were plentiful and all over. AND - on a Saturday night, you couldn't find an open lane.
I think the tough part for me is memories. I remember when these centers opened and they were gleaming, exciting, and new. Bright colors. Telescores. Shiny new bowling balls. I remember vividly when Fair Lanes was going great guns with new centers everywhere. But Fair Lanes was a bargain basement operation. They didn't everything on the cheap. Most of their centers were above the lane ball returns and vanilla masks. They were 32 lane and 40 lane houses. Boilerplate houses.
@thesmart67 Centers used to boom back in the day. My old place was 64 lanes split and years back (before my time) there was another 64 lane less than 5 minutes down the street! No problem filling either place. Just not like that anymore. I remember Fair Lanes all pretty much had the same masks, the only one I saw with different masks was the Fair Lanes I went to down in FL, they had old Brunswick Starshields with the Fair Lanes logo on them.
I guess the market for pinsetters and pinspotters is zip now although other countries are embracing bowling and like the surplus of equipment. Watching Bowl America Reisterstown being torn down was sad. I wasn't around when they closed Odenton. The current builder owner got it cheap and all 34 lanes were still in the building when he bought it. I wonder where all that equipment goes.
@thesmart67 You'd be surprised, a lot of machines actually do get saved. Just for parts if nothing else. Sadly new installs don't generally see used machines but at least they live on in parts to keep other machines going. I helped part out a closed up center over the summer. We got what we could but sadly most of those machines will be scrapped
Because we've grown up around bowling, we love the game and we remember a golden era. Leagues are the life's blood of any bowling center. When I was in Springfield, IL a couple of years ago, there was a huge 64-lane back to back house that had just closed awaiting a teardown. You just know it was one heck of a meeting place at one time. Bowling centers were not only for bowling, but for getting together with friends.
Wish I knew what to say about bowling. I think it failed to keep up with the times. Smart centers turned their operation into not only bowling, but recreation centers or family fun centers. However, with home video games what they are, that isn't even working anymore. Economics is what is hurting bowling. Bowling is expensive. Leagues are in decline. How is it at your center? Do you still have a loyal following?
@thesmart67 Bowling is hurting all over, it's a shame but that's just how it is. The economy is just making that worse. Our place has been open since 1939 as a bowling center so it does have a good, loyal following. Leagues are down a little from last year but still good. We still have double shifts 2 nights a week which is good, very few late leagues left anymore. We're also right down the street within walking distance from a college so we get a lot of open play from the students
Yep - that was Bowl America Reisterstown outside Baltimore. Those are the masks Odenton had from the late 1970s to the end in 1997. Bowl America survives. A lot of their houses are gone now. Fair Lanes is gone. Spoke with Wally Hall, founder of Fair Lanes, years back. He sold Fair Lanes to AMF. All Fair Lanes are now AMF Lanes or they are gone.
@thesmart67 Ahh, so they are still around. I didn't know if they totally folded or what was going on. AMF bought out Fair Lanes a long while back. The only center near me was about 45 mins away and closed years back. AMF had already bought out Fair Lanes by then. It's a shame, it was a nice clean 40 lane center too. I remember passing it not long after seeing it close and seeing all the field converted A2's in the parking lot... Sad!
I remember when BA Odenton was new - gleaming single lane Gold Crown masks in aqua, underlane returns. Gold Crown masks went away in the 1980s - replaced with cheesy looking BA masks. The masks were deluxe with pin indicators, first and second ball lights, and the red crown - strike. BA Odenton is now a roller skating rink. Sad...
@thesmart67 Sounds like my dream center back in the day! The video I mentioned had Bowl America masks though of course I couldn't tell much about them. Did that whole Bowl America chain go under?
Bowl America Odenton, MD had 34 original A-models - mechanical triggering, no rake delay, yet Jet Back ball accelerators. Never had automatic scoring. When the 30 year lease on the building was up, it closed. Hard to believe Bowl America lost to its competition - a mom and pop house around the corner - Greenway Bowl.
@thesmart67 I actually just saw a video on here of a guy going thru a long closed Bowl America house. With some of the machines still in place. Looked like ducks near the low end and tenpin near lane 40 (40 laner). Kinda hard to make it all out as it was dark in this abandoned center
The old AMF Magic Triangle Pindicators were bitchin'... Not sure how they worked - but the spare shooter feature was awesome. Like their Brunswick counterparts, they didn't last. They fell apart almost right away. When I bowled at Gold Crown houses in the 1960s, the masks, ball returns, and telescores were falling apart. So many bulbs in those masks - too much for maintenance guys to keep up with.
@thesmart67 I always loved them, still do! They weren't bad, just yes, a lot of bulbs to keep up on. The pindication itself was fine, the wiring for it went to each respot cell in the table and they had to be working for the machine to work properly anyway. The sparemakers were total headaches from what I heard (despite how cool they were) thusly a LOT of them were just removed
You gotta see Uncle Buck. You will flip over the center. Nice and close up too. A-Models that are dead on original right down to the immediate rake response - no A-2 delay. Couldn't believe my eyes. I think the center burned years ago so it's gone as I understand it.
@thesmart67 90 overtravel! Dangerous thing if you don't know what you're doing. There's a center near me that still has it. Pretty much straight A's with some conversions
Ain't nothing sacred anymore. AMFlites are Brunswick and vice versa. Lord... But I guess I knew that from a news item a while back. Only one company in the world makes bowling pins now. As I understand it - more than 50% of the centers we grew up with are gone now.
@thesmart67 There are other pin companies, even Ebonite is making pins now but of course when it comes to pins the majority want either AMF or Brunswick. All from the same plant now. I can totally believe 50% of centers are gone. I can think of far too many that have shut their doors for various reasons
Hey - I know you can tell from just sound what you're hearing, right? AMF vs Brunswick? The acoustics of AMF vs Brunswick. AMFlite pins have a higher pitch ring than Brunswick.
@thesmart67 Oh absolutely, I could tell just from a ball hitting the pins let alone all the other indicators. I always preferred the sound of AMF pins to Brunswicks, I like the higher sound. Tho this is no longer true since 2008 or 2009 when Brunswick pins were made in AMF's plant in NY. Now they all sound like AMF pins
Ever watch "Uncle Buck"? I watch it just to see that bowling center with 1950s Brunswick masks and those first A models with "Brunswick Automatic" I get a rush from it.
@thesmart67 I've never seen it, now I'm gonna watch it just for that one part lol. There was a center about an hour away that still had the "Brunswick Automatic" deck shields. Haven't been there in years tho
Oh - those single lane Brunswick masks were great. Crisp, sharp. Problem was, they didn't last. They fell apart. When they were new - RED crown for a strike. Pin indicators. I gotta hand it to AMF with Pindicators - but a maintenance nightmare. When Astro Line came out toward the end of the 1960s, it was disappointing. And - Brunswick 2000...
@thesmart67 I loved the single lane Gold Crowns. Sadly I never saw them work like they should in person, just in videos. I do love the AMF pindication, maintenance isn't as bad as you'd think really. The only newer masks I liked were the B2000's, no one else seemed to like them aside from me lol
Some people watch "Dancing With The Stars" - I watch YouTube A and A-2 videos. Also watch old Pro Bowlers Tour tapes. I like the belt whine. Takes me back to Saturday mornings in the mid-1960s. Chilly mornings... They'd turn on 12 A models and they'd whine like crazy. It's a cool, nostalgic sound. It's like antique AMF 8230s with pins being dropped into the cups. Talk about noisy machines??? Once Brunswicks are done moving pins, they're stone quiet. AMF's clunk and bang.
Houses I remember. Bowl America Odenton, Maryland - all A-models and Gold Crown. Fair Lanes University and Fair Lanes Wheaton Plaza - both Maryland. Great house acoustics. The thunder of Brunswicks with long kickbacks. Time to write a book about this subjet.
@thesmart67 Ahh, the sounds of a Brunswick equipped center. I'd read the book for sure! I miss the Gold Crown stuff, never really see it anymore. I really loved the masks too, so sharp looking!
Yep - the sound of a solid pocket hit. AND - Brunswicks with long kickbacks. The acoustics of a house with long kickbacks - all that wood. AND - Brunswicks with single wall pin elevators. They "bong" and "clang" like crazy. Love it...
Your Brunswicks work like clocks. And that's because you're passionate about what you do. The Brunswick A series machines were a miracle/marvel of mechanical engineering. Pop Quiz: Who designed the Brunswick A and A-2 machines? Who were the geniuses behind these machines? I think of that too - pins be released by the turret. And - that turret belt whine so common with A and A-2 machines. Cold morning and they turn on all the lanes to the harmony of turret belts. Yeeeehaw...
@thesmart67 True mechanical marvels. If anything they were over built and engineered . They said they were designed to last about 10 years. Well here we are 55+ years later and still going strong. The turret whine was the worst for us over this past summer, it wasn't crazy hot but it was a humid one and the belts didn't like that lol. They quiet right down though. Turret whine, the filling of the deck and the clanging of pins hitting the pinwheel, can't beat it! :)
Tell you something else. There's nothing quite like the grace of a well-tuned Brunswick A or A-2. As you shoot those 7-10s, each machine is ready. As each cycles, you hear the turret release pins into the deck. You and your machines in synch... =)
@thesmart67 The good ol tanks! The machines are great and so well made especially since they're older machines. Our mechanic is great, he's been working on machines for over 30 years and keeps up with any and all PM and lubrication. Take care of the machines and they'll take care of you :) I love the sound of the pins being released into the deck from the turret too, that just never gets old :)
Nothing stays the same, but there was just something about bowling's golden years. I still get goosebumps from a great delivery and a solid pocket hit. Some might laugh at that, but they don't understand true bowling. It is an art.
@thesmart67 I don't laugh at that, I'm with ya! Another thing is the sounds of a center, there's nothing like the sound of a solid hit sending all 10 straight back!
What made old school great was the atmosphere. Pro bowling wasn't like World Wrestling like it is now. People took it seriously. Commentary was done quietly and respectfully. In the good old days, houses were full of leagues, great friendships, telescores, cigarette smoke, beer, and the wonderful smell of lane conditioner. I miss Brunswick's Gold Crown and AMF's Magic Triangle.
I grew up in bowling centers where everyone knew your name. Those days are gone... Still something very comforting about bowling and the community spirit of the game.
@thesmart67 That's how my center still is, old school. It's great! We all know each other and have a good time and that's what it's all about. Bowling and having some fun!
@SDcrooZer My work but not without your help and videos bud! :) New lanes at your place eh? Sweet! You still had the older Armor Plate lanes at your place right? Anvillane Pro going in I would assume?
@thesmart67 It was a lot of fun to do. I just love the place, always have. It's small but VERY cozy, and league and tournaments are great. Lots of good bowlers and always friendly, everyone knows everyone
at lease you hit the 7 pin everytime. i might had hit the 7, three times out of twelve. next time play the benny hill theme, and speed it up. .....nice try.
Thanks bud! I should've had the one on lane 10 for sure, I threw that one good lol. Thanks to your help you can see how nice the rakes are :) How is everything with you my friend? Been a while!
Part of the thrill of the Pro Bowlers Tour was house nuance - to see how each house was equipped. Today - Pro Bowling is "world wrestling" - a cheese job. Friend - it just ain't what it was...
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 I so agree. With the same annoying set and covers over everything the houses loose their uniqueness. Granted with the stuff now it wouldn't be as prevalent as in years past but it still looks the same week after week on tour now
Rep2369 1 month ago
I misunderstood you. Those Geico ball return covers - sponsor boxes... I thought you meant Astro Line ball returns. Duh... I like the current Brunswick ball returns now, tasteful... Lean and trim - clearly Brunswick. I do miss the classic Gold Crown stuff.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Yeah, those sponsor boxes are terrible, I can't stand them. The current returns do look nice but I have 2 issues with them. The cheap plastic they're made of which cracks a lot. So many centers I go to they have huge cracks on them. Also the reset buttons, they're way in the front which as a bowler is a pain and they also stick. Many mechs I know have had issues with that
Rep2369 1 month ago
Now that's a vintage house, eh? You will have to grab some photos... =) I liked the "B" and the rakes. Odenton had these deck shields right up to the end on its A models. Some of the rakes still had the Brunswick script. Still had mechanical triggering too. Ball would hit the pit cushion too hard and stall the machine. =)
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Newer 2 tier masks and Frameworx scoring but the machines are the real deal. I think the only conversions on those machines is the quick rake drop (which works on some lanes anyway) and some lanes have had A2 style cushions installed. Aside from that pretty much straight A's
Rep2369 1 month ago
Yeah - I was never impressed with the JetBack covers. Odenton got them around 1967. Astro Line was probably the most produced Brunswick line there was. Even more than Gold Crown. The Astro Line lift covers were - well - strange... 2000? Didn't say much.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 The Jetback covers are ok with me. The machine difference is what made the JetBack sweet! I do like the B2000 hoods. They're small, neat and durable
Rep2369 1 month ago
Lets take it a step further. What's with Astro-Line??? By that time, the space thing was old news. And Brunswick 2000??? How many ways can you cover up a ball lift? Do you like that "cool" Geico ball lift cover??? Blllllieeeeack!!!
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 lol. They made a lot of Astroline stuff. The JetBack conversion was named that cuz of all the air related things going on at the time. Those covers on the tour are TERRIBLE. All they do is get in the way and get banged around. If you're gonna make the guys get in so deep that it's a factor don't make the ball return hood larger! Looks awful as well lol
Rep2369 1 month ago
Know what I didn't care for? The A-2 logo on the deck shield with two crowns - I could have done better than that. The big Brunswick "B" looked sharp. As time went on - more cheesy with the white A-2. Oh well...
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Aww, that was my favorite one. I also loved the gold "B". A center nearby still has them and the old cursive brunswick on the rakes.
Rep2369 1 month ago
I like bowling the classic way - telescores, grease pencils, transparencies, machine switches and frame counters, vintage masking units with BRUNSWICK across the mask, the gold grown, the big "B" logo on the deck shield, etc, etc, etc. They gave centers character. When Odenton closed, I was stunned. Always thought it would all go on forever.
thesmart67 1 month ago
Were I going to open a bowling center today, it would be nostalgic. Pie in the sky. I mean real nostalgia. Someone somewhere has all that stuff warehoused from the 1950s and 60s.
thesmart67 1 month ago
When I lived in West Tennessee, there was a house in Mayfield, Kentucky - Red Bird Lanes - that was all original Brunswick Gold Crown masks, returns, telescores with A-2s. It was a time warp up until the late 1990s. It was like new - 1962 all over again. It was a well-kept house. They sold the house and the owners gutted the place. Automatic scoring, modern masks, disappointing...
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Sad, so many houses go this route. I hate to see it as well but the open bowler which many centers are catering to anymore all like this stuff. Not many old school bowlers left!
Rep2369 1 month ago
It is interesting. Did you know China makes an AMF 8270/8290 knockoff? Hey - who was it who made duckpin machines (not Sherman) way back when? Had a sweep like an AMF and a rack more or less like a Brunswick. Sweep went up and the rack came down and set pins. Can't help but notice how trashed duckpin houses are now. Barely hanging on.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 They make a few which I haven't heard much good about. All junk hardware, especially on the Via's. Did Bowl-Mor make a duck setter? I know they made regular tenpin and candle as well
Rep2369 1 month ago
I am surprised there are new centers anymore. In Lakeland back in 1985, someone opened a new center on the west side with refurbished A-2s in brown. Brunswick 2000... In 1986 in St. Charles, MO - we had a new AMF house with 8270s.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 There are, just not many and certainly not any near me! Some do open with refurb machines but not very many. They all like the shiny new plastic junk... YUCK! lol
Rep2369 1 month ago
When I lived in Central Florida, we had two Fair Lanes houses. One was a Fair Lanes new with Fair Lanes masks and Astro Line returns. It was Fair Lanes Lakeside. The other was a house Fair Lanes bought, Fair Lanes Lakeland, which had Astro masks. Instead of "Brunswick" on the masks, it had Fair Lanes. Also had Astro returns.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Sounds just like the center I went to... EXACT same setup!
Rep2369 1 month ago
Seems everyone got on the bowling bandwagon. You could find multiple centers in the same community. Odenton had two. Glen Burnie had THREE - one all duckpins on two floors. They were plentiful and all over. AND - on a Saturday night, you couldn't find an open lane.
thesmart67 1 month ago
I think the tough part for me is memories. I remember when these centers opened and they were gleaming, exciting, and new. Bright colors. Telescores. Shiny new bowling balls. I remember vividly when Fair Lanes was going great guns with new centers everywhere. But Fair Lanes was a bargain basement operation. They didn't everything on the cheap. Most of their centers were above the lane ball returns and vanilla masks. They were 32 lane and 40 lane houses. Boilerplate houses.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Centers used to boom back in the day. My old place was 64 lanes split and years back (before my time) there was another 64 lane less than 5 minutes down the street! No problem filling either place. Just not like that anymore. I remember Fair Lanes all pretty much had the same masks, the only one I saw with different masks was the Fair Lanes I went to down in FL, they had old Brunswick Starshields with the Fair Lanes logo on them.
Rep2369 1 month ago
I guess the market for pinsetters and pinspotters is zip now although other countries are embracing bowling and like the surplus of equipment. Watching Bowl America Reisterstown being torn down was sad. I wasn't around when they closed Odenton. The current builder owner got it cheap and all 34 lanes were still in the building when he bought it. I wonder where all that equipment goes.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 You'd be surprised, a lot of machines actually do get saved. Just for parts if nothing else. Sadly new installs don't generally see used machines but at least they live on in parts to keep other machines going. I helped part out a closed up center over the summer. We got what we could but sadly most of those machines will be scrapped
Rep2369 1 month ago
Because we've grown up around bowling, we love the game and we remember a golden era. Leagues are the life's blood of any bowling center. When I was in Springfield, IL a couple of years ago, there was a huge 64-lane back to back house that had just closed awaiting a teardown. You just know it was one heck of a meeting place at one time. Bowling centers were not only for bowling, but for getting together with friends.
thesmart67 1 month ago
Wish I knew what to say about bowling. I think it failed to keep up with the times. Smart centers turned their operation into not only bowling, but recreation centers or family fun centers. However, with home video games what they are, that isn't even working anymore. Economics is what is hurting bowling. Bowling is expensive. Leagues are in decline. How is it at your center? Do you still have a loyal following?
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Bowling is hurting all over, it's a shame but that's just how it is. The economy is just making that worse. Our place has been open since 1939 as a bowling center so it does have a good, loyal following. Leagues are down a little from last year but still good. We still have double shifts 2 nights a week which is good, very few late leagues left anymore. We're also right down the street within walking distance from a college so we get a lot of open play from the students
Rep2369 1 month ago
Yep - that was Bowl America Reisterstown outside Baltimore. Those are the masks Odenton had from the late 1970s to the end in 1997. Bowl America survives. A lot of their houses are gone now. Fair Lanes is gone. Spoke with Wally Hall, founder of Fair Lanes, years back. He sold Fair Lanes to AMF. All Fair Lanes are now AMF Lanes or they are gone.
thesmart67 1 month ago
@thesmart67 Ahh, so they are still around. I didn't know if they totally folded or what was going on. AMF bought out Fair Lanes a long while back. The only center near me was about 45 mins away and closed years back. AMF had already bought out Fair Lanes by then. It's a shame, it was a nice clean 40 lane center too. I remember passing it not long after seeing it close and seeing all the field converted A2's in the parking lot... Sad!
Rep2369 1 month ago
I remember when BA Odenton was new - gleaming single lane Gold Crown masks in aqua, underlane returns. Gold Crown masks went away in the 1980s - replaced with cheesy looking BA masks. The masks were deluxe with pin indicators, first and second ball lights, and the red crown - strike. BA Odenton is now a roller skating rink. Sad...
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 Sounds like my dream center back in the day! The video I mentioned had Bowl America masks though of course I couldn't tell much about them. Did that whole Bowl America chain go under?
Rep2369 1 month ago
Bowl America Odenton, MD had 34 original A-models - mechanical triggering, no rake delay, yet Jet Back ball accelerators. Never had automatic scoring. When the 30 year lease on the building was up, it closed. Hard to believe Bowl America lost to its competition - a mom and pop house around the corner - Greenway Bowl.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 I actually just saw a video on here of a guy going thru a long closed Bowl America house. With some of the machines still in place. Looked like ducks near the low end and tenpin near lane 40 (40 laner). Kinda hard to make it all out as it was dark in this abandoned center
Rep2369 1 month ago
The old AMF Magic Triangle Pindicators were bitchin'... Not sure how they worked - but the spare shooter feature was awesome. Like their Brunswick counterparts, they didn't last. They fell apart almost right away. When I bowled at Gold Crown houses in the 1960s, the masks, ball returns, and telescores were falling apart. So many bulbs in those masks - too much for maintenance guys to keep up with.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 I always loved them, still do! They weren't bad, just yes, a lot of bulbs to keep up on. The pindication itself was fine, the wiring for it went to each respot cell in the table and they had to be working for the machine to work properly anyway. The sparemakers were total headaches from what I heard (despite how cool they were) thusly a LOT of them were just removed
Rep2369 2 months ago
You gotta see Uncle Buck. You will flip over the center. Nice and close up too. A-Models that are dead on original right down to the immediate rake response - no A-2 delay. Couldn't believe my eyes. I think the center burned years ago so it's gone as I understand it.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 90 overtravel! Dangerous thing if you don't know what you're doing. There's a center near me that still has it. Pretty much straight A's with some conversions
Rep2369 2 months ago
Ain't nothing sacred anymore. AMFlites are Brunswick and vice versa. Lord... But I guess I knew that from a news item a while back. Only one company in the world makes bowling pins now. As I understand it - more than 50% of the centers we grew up with are gone now.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 There are other pin companies, even Ebonite is making pins now but of course when it comes to pins the majority want either AMF or Brunswick. All from the same plant now. I can totally believe 50% of centers are gone. I can think of far too many that have shut their doors for various reasons
Rep2369 2 months ago
Hey - I know you can tell from just sound what you're hearing, right? AMF vs Brunswick? The acoustics of AMF vs Brunswick. AMFlite pins have a higher pitch ring than Brunswick.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 Oh absolutely, I could tell just from a ball hitting the pins let alone all the other indicators. I always preferred the sound of AMF pins to Brunswicks, I like the higher sound. Tho this is no longer true since 2008 or 2009 when Brunswick pins were made in AMF's plant in NY. Now they all sound like AMF pins
Rep2369 2 months ago
Ever watch "Uncle Buck"? I watch it just to see that bowling center with 1950s Brunswick masks and those first A models with "Brunswick Automatic" I get a rush from it.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 I've never seen it, now I'm gonna watch it just for that one part lol. There was a center about an hour away that still had the "Brunswick Automatic" deck shields. Haven't been there in years tho
Rep2369 2 months ago
Oh - those single lane Brunswick masks were great. Crisp, sharp. Problem was, they didn't last. They fell apart. When they were new - RED crown for a strike. Pin indicators. I gotta hand it to AMF with Pindicators - but a maintenance nightmare. When Astro Line came out toward the end of the 1960s, it was disappointing. And - Brunswick 2000...
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 I loved the single lane Gold Crowns. Sadly I never saw them work like they should in person, just in videos. I do love the AMF pindication, maintenance isn't as bad as you'd think really. The only newer masks I liked were the B2000's, no one else seemed to like them aside from me lol
Rep2369 2 months ago
What is it about these old Brunswicks we like so much? Fluid precision machines.
thesmart67 2 months ago
Some people watch "Dancing With The Stars" - I watch YouTube A and A-2 videos. Also watch old Pro Bowlers Tour tapes. I like the belt whine. Takes me back to Saturday mornings in the mid-1960s. Chilly mornings... They'd turn on 12 A models and they'd whine like crazy. It's a cool, nostalgic sound. It's like antique AMF 8230s with pins being dropped into the cups. Talk about noisy machines??? Once Brunswicks are done moving pins, they're stone quiet. AMF's clunk and bang.
thesmart67 2 months ago
Houses I remember. Bowl America Odenton, Maryland - all A-models and Gold Crown. Fair Lanes University and Fair Lanes Wheaton Plaza - both Maryland. Great house acoustics. The thunder of Brunswicks with long kickbacks. Time to write a book about this subjet.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 Ahh, the sounds of a Brunswick equipped center. I'd read the book for sure! I miss the Gold Crown stuff, never really see it anymore. I really loved the masks too, so sharp looking!
Rep2369 2 months ago
Yep - the sound of a solid pocket hit. AND - Brunswicks with long kickbacks. The acoustics of a house with long kickbacks - all that wood. AND - Brunswicks with single wall pin elevators. They "bong" and "clang" like crazy. Love it...
thesmart67 2 months ago
Your Brunswicks work like clocks. And that's because you're passionate about what you do. The Brunswick A series machines were a miracle/marvel of mechanical engineering. Pop Quiz: Who designed the Brunswick A and A-2 machines? Who were the geniuses behind these machines? I think of that too - pins be released by the turret. And - that turret belt whine so common with A and A-2 machines. Cold morning and they turn on all the lanes to the harmony of turret belts. Yeeeehaw...
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 True mechanical marvels. If anything they were over built and engineered . They said they were designed to last about 10 years. Well here we are 55+ years later and still going strong. The turret whine was the worst for us over this past summer, it wasn't crazy hot but it was a humid one and the belts didn't like that lol. They quiet right down though. Turret whine, the filling of the deck and the clanging of pins hitting the pinwheel, can't beat it! :)
Rep2369 2 months ago
Tell you something else. There's nothing quite like the grace of a well-tuned Brunswick A or A-2. As you shoot those 7-10s, each machine is ready. As each cycles, you hear the turret release pins into the deck. You and your machines in synch... =)
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 The good ol tanks! The machines are great and so well made especially since they're older machines. Our mechanic is great, he's been working on machines for over 30 years and keeps up with any and all PM and lubrication. Take care of the machines and they'll take care of you :) I love the sound of the pins being released into the deck from the turret too, that just never gets old :)
Rep2369 2 months ago
Nothing stays the same, but there was just something about bowling's golden years. I still get goosebumps from a great delivery and a solid pocket hit. Some might laugh at that, but they don't understand true bowling. It is an art.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 I don't laugh at that, I'm with ya! Another thing is the sounds of a center, there's nothing like the sound of a solid hit sending all 10 straight back!
Rep2369 2 months ago
What made old school great was the atmosphere. Pro bowling wasn't like World Wrestling like it is now. People took it seriously. Commentary was done quietly and respectfully. In the good old days, houses were full of leagues, great friendships, telescores, cigarette smoke, beer, and the wonderful smell of lane conditioner. I miss Brunswick's Gold Crown and AMF's Magic Triangle.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 It was a totally different atmosphere years back and I miss it too!
Rep2369 2 months ago
Will always love this game. Old school is the best...
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 I feel the same bud, old school is great! When bowling was truly bowling!
Rep2369 2 months ago
I grew up in bowling centers where everyone knew your name. Those days are gone... Still something very comforting about bowling and the community spirit of the game.
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 That's how my center still is, old school. It's great! We all know each other and have a good time and that's what it's all about. Bowling and having some fun!
Rep2369 2 months ago
those rakes are your hardwork :) ive been good. been super busy at work...installing new lanes. 16 down...32 to go
SDcrooZer 2 months ago
@SDcrooZer My work but not without your help and videos bud! :) New lanes at your place eh? Sweet! You still had the older Armor Plate lanes at your place right? Anvillane Pro going in I would assume?
Rep2369 2 months ago
I gotta tell ya - this is cool... By the way - I like this house. Wish it was 3000 miles closer to me. =)
thesmart67 2 months ago
@thesmart67 It was a lot of fun to do. I just love the place, always have. It's small but VERY cozy, and league and tournaments are great. Lots of good bowlers and always friendly, everyone knows everyone
Rep2369 2 months ago
at lease you hit the 7 pin everytime. i might had hit the 7, three times out of twelve. next time play the benny hill theme, and speed it up. .....nice try.
csideparknj 2 months ago
@csideparknj The Benny Hill theme makes anything funnier, it's an automatic thing lol
Rep2369 2 months ago
Thanks bud! I should've had the one on lane 10 for sure, I threw that one good lol. Thanks to your help you can see how nice the rakes are :) How is everything with you my friend? Been a while!
Rep2369 2 months ago
nice try bud...and congrats on another 300
SDcrooZer 2 months ago