Williams Spanish Eyes pinball

[geofflove]

So after working on my gottlieb roto pool pinball I’m slightly hooked. I just picked up this Williams Spanish Eyes in need of some TLC. Nice groovy 1972 graphics on the back box!
Anyway, giving it a once over I notice a linkage hanging down from the match feature stepper. See pic. Looks like it should be connected but can’t for the life of me see to what. Or maybe it’s just used in a different model? Any ideas?

[gameswat]

That's a bell ringer.

[special when lit]

As Gameswat said, there should be a bell attached to the bracket with a slot in it. They usually get taken off, as they're a bit loud for home use.
I had a Spanish Eyes once, great game to play, but never did like the graphics!

[badpenny]

I had a Spanish Eyes once, great game to play, but never did like the graphics!

I played pinball constantly in the early 70s, it was a popular machine except that headboard made it feel like you were playing a migraine.

BP

[geofflove]

Thanks everyone. Bell ringer makes sense. Not got into the main cab yet as is locked and no key and I’ve promised myself I won’t start in this for a few weeks after I’ve done the stencilling on the Roto pool and sorted another allwin! Guess there’s an outside chance that the bell might be lying underneath but prob a bit optimistic! Will have to get a pic to see what it looked like.

[gameswat]

They usually get taken off, as they're a bit loud for home use.

Except most E/M machines with bells/gongs didn't even make it to home use with sounds intact! I don't remember any home users ever asking me to remove them, but well over half the many hundreds of machines we purchased from operators they'd been disabled, and amazingly half of that (1/4) were removed completely!? The players never wanted them quiet but the location workers did because they'd hear them non stop all day. My father knew sound was very important to game play and subsequently cash in the slots, so when the locations complained he had his own idea which was to wrap an old tea towel around the gongs with lacky bands, this cut the volume and stopped the gongs reverberating for very long. And could be easily removed as soon as the machine changed locations.

As I'm sure most of you have noticed even to this very day the same 1970's E/M pinball gongs can be heard on nearly every film and TV show made!?! Sometimes it almost sounds like glasses or bottles clinking but then in the background someone will be standing near a modern electronic pinball that is obviously not actually being played. .......Whoever recorded that Foley sound track back in circa 1972 has been sitting back living like a king ever since!

[special when lit]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pinball-Mach ... 3989122013

[geofflove]

Thanks for pointing the eBay bell. Had that one earmarked and won it so will add it when I get to my refurb.