Picked up a Defender cocktail

DP Louie

Well-known member

Donor 2011
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
2,184
Reaction score
155
Location
Visalia, California
I just picked up a clean Defender cocktail today for a reasonable price ;). It had been posted on craigslist a few weeks ago in a town about 15 miles from me. The seller wanted $500, and the pictures looked clean, but they claimed it needed to be "reprogrammed". I passed due to the price and the possible issues, but a few days ago I saw that it was still listed and emailed the seller about it just for the heck of it. To my surprize, he responded that he would be willing to take alot less than $500 because he needed it out of his garage due to his nagging wife. So, I make arrangements to go check it out today... I've never seen a Defender cocktail in person (before now), but I'd say this one is very clean, harness is all original, monitor is pristine with no burn at all, cp's are near mint. Only defects are one of the speaker grills is dented pretty bad, and the black trim (it's not t-molding) around the top edge is torn up. The pics are from BEFORE I shop vac'd it and cleaned it. And it works fine! The seller had managed to get into the setup menu and changed some things around and couldn't get it to do anything except go into attract mode! (This is what he meant by it needing to be "reprogrammed"). I paid $175 for it, I think I got a good deal. The seller said he found it covered in blankets in an old barn he was hired to clean out - the owners told him to get rid of everything, but he decided to bring the game home, and when he couldn't figure out how to set it up, his wife told him to get rid of it! I guess he made out okay since he actually got paid to haul off the game, but I'm happy with the price I paid.
The board had 3 AA batteries on it, a little corrosion is starting, but once I took these pics, I took them out and cleaned the area with vinegar and water. Doesn't someone make a lithium battery conversion for Defender boards? The lights on the cp are not working, I need to check the voltages and the bulbs, and the monitor could use a cap kit, but damn this thing is nice! Too bad I suck at Defender :D.
 

Attachments

  • 001.jpg
    001.jpg
    96 KB · Views: 47
  • 005.jpg
    005.jpg
    96.2 KB · Views: 38
  • 007.jpg
    007.jpg
    101 KB · Views: 37
  • 016.jpg
    016.jpg
    102 KB · Views: 41
Dude, that's a steal! Did you find it around here?

EDIT: Duh, obviously ( I should stop skimming posts)
A more direct question would be, which town did you pick this up from?
 
Last edited:
Dude, that's a steal! Did you find it around here?

EDIT: Duh, obviously ( I should stop skimming posts)
A more direct question would be, which town did you pick this up from?

It was in Hanford. I couldn't believe how clean and complete it was, and working, too! I probably could have gotten it for $150 or less if I would have haggled a little more, but I was so excited I guess I jumped the gun...
 
It was in Hanford. I couldn't believe how clean and complete it was, and working, too! I probably could have gotten it for $150 or less if I would have haggled a little more, but I was so excited I guess I jumped the gun...

Still, that's cool And you didn't have to drive far to get it. I got my first MB in Exeter out of a barn and it was beat to hell. I had to throw another $175 into it just to get it presentable.
Those Williams cocktails are cool. Congrats!
 
I just picked up a clean Defender cocktail today for a reasonable price ;). It had been posted on craigslist a few weeks ago in a town about 15 miles from me. The seller wanted $500, and the pictures looked clean, but they claimed it needed to be "reprogrammed". I passed due to the price and the possible issues, but a few days ago I saw that it was still listed and emailed the seller about it just for the heck of it. To my surprize, he responded that he would be willing to take alot less than $500 because he needed it out of his garage due to his nagging wife. So, I make arrangements to go check it out today... I've never seen a Defender cocktail in person (before now), but I'd say this one is very clean, harness is all original, monitor is pristine with no burn at all, cp's are near mint. Only defects are one of the speaker grills is dented pretty bad, and the black trim (it's not t-molding) around the top edge is torn up. The pics are from BEFORE I shop vac'd it and cleaned it. And it works fine! The seller had managed to get into the setup menu and changed some things around and couldn't get it to do anything except go into attract mode! (This is what he meant by it needing to be "reprogrammed"). I paid $175 for it, I think I got a good deal. The seller said he found it covered in blankets in an old barn he was hired to clean out - the owners told him to get rid of everything, but he decided to bring the game home, and when he couldn't figure out how to set it up, his wife told him to get rid of it! I guess he made out okay since he actually got paid to haul off the game, but I'm happy with the price I paid.
The board had 3 AA batteries on it, a little corrosion is starting, but once I took these pics, I took them out and cleaned the area with vinegar and water. Doesn't someone make a lithium battery conversion for Defender boards? The lights on the cp are not working, I need to check the voltages and the bulbs, and the monitor could use a cap kit, but damn this thing is nice! Too bad I suck at Defender :D.

I'm partial to defender I think you got an insane deal on that one. I saw this on CL but I already have a decent one so it seemed silly to have yet another defender. I have the cocktail and the upright. :D
Nice unmolested original example. The instruction cards, glass and trim look great! That is unusual with this game.
 
Back
Top Bottom