StardustBreaker
Beginner
Hi my name is Donovan and I'm from Texas. Currently looking to buy my first cabinet.
- Thread starter StardustBreaker
- Start date
J
jassin000
Welcome to the party fellow arcade fan! 
What style cab are you looking for and how much are you willing to spend?
Candy? Woodie? CRT? LCD? Generic? Dedicated? 100$ 500$? 1000? 2500? 5000?
What style cab are you looking for and how much are you willing to spend?
Candy? Woodie? CRT? LCD? Generic? Dedicated? 100$ 500$? 1000? 2500? 5000?
Welcome!
StardustBreaker
Beginner
I really want a candy because their size is perfect to me. I'm trying to stay under $1000Welcome to the party fellow arcade fan!
What style cab are you looking for and how much are you willing to spend?
Candy? Woodie? CRT? LCD? Generic? Dedicated? 100$ 500$? 1000? 2500? 5000?
MissionFailed
Professional
you can do a lot better than $1000. that's really $360-$200 on the high end for probably what you'll be looking for.
don't start throwing money at cabs. Ask a lot of people who are not involved in the sale about their own observations and experiences before you stat having FOMO nagging at you. Its pretty irritating when you find out a guy worked you for an extra $200+.
new buyers and current owners/sellers, genuinely will over state values. Don't use KLOV as a price guide. Or for that matter, Forums in general. The hype echo chamber has blown out prices. mostly investment owners and plenty of brand new buyers joining, ready to be taken advantage of.
1.) Always ask; "what did you pay to have the cab shipped to you?"
Some folks will try to tack on their fees and shipping on too the next buyer. what they payed in shipping or duty fees is not your responsibility to cover. the cab has a value and paying to have the cab shipped to you, DOSE NOT increase the value of said cab.
"well i payed $300-$500 to have the cab shipped to me. SO pay me what i got in it" = Walk away
2.) a good condition cab IS NOT worth more because of the condition. Cabs in less quality condition are worth less. you subtract value for condition infractions, you don't add money to something because its in original state. high condition is worth only the current top end, not more.
3.) Are the parts original?
IF ANYTHING original is missing or damaged. Subtract value. dose not matter if the original PSU was not very good, So they replaced it with a better PSU. It's not original. IF your going to pay on the higher end of value, you should get a complete cab. even if the PSU was replaced, you should get the original PSU as well. or knock $200 or more off.
Restoring or fixing things on a cab do not make it worth more. It brings the value back up closer to the higher end, not over.
4.) replacing joystick, buttons, etc. Dose not make the cab worth more.
it wasn't you who chose to put that stuff on the cab, you will probably replace them anyway. Not your responsibility to cover the personal user choices of the other owner. basically don't buy/pay for the sticks already on the cab. that's silly.
5.) Ask lots of questions. Use your mighty google fu.
J
jassin000
Good advice, do lots of looking and be patient... Remember if you are in a rush to get something, typically it will cost you more.
We've actually had some good local listings on Craig's here in MA these past few months.
FYI if you are in Salem MA, one of the guys that opened BitBar (Joshua Allen) sells project (gutted) cabs sometimes for reasonable prices.
Don't be afraid to drop him a line, he's a good guy... Just remember he is always trying to work trades to get stuff into BitBar.
He's been trying (I'm demanding a shit load of stuff) to get my Turtles in Time PCB for months now (they have a X-men, Simpsons, TMNT1, but no TIT).
MissionFailed
Professional
yea I go to it bar all the time. I was thinking about putting my third strike gen 1 big blue in there.Good advice, do lots of looking and be patient... Remember if you are in a rush to get something, typically it will cost you more.
We've actually had some good local listings on Craig's here in MA these past few months.
FYI if you are in Salem MA, one of the guys that opened BitBar (Joshua Allen) sells project (gutted) cabs sometimes for reasonable prices.
Don't be afraid to drop him a line, he's a good guy... Just remember he is always trying to work trades to get stuff into BitBar.
He's been trying (I'm demanding a shit load of stuff) to get my Turtles in Time PCB for months now (they have a X-men, Simpsons, TMNT1, but no TIT).
StardustBreaker
Beginner
Thanks for all the tips guy! My only issue now is deciding between a candy and a vewlix. My main reason for wanting a candy was the size and how much you can break them down if needed, but I still want to play modern games. Any suggestions?
what I've learned from my first arcade build is that it comes down to time and money. You can usually build whatever you want with the right amount of the two. Pretty much everyone on this forum has helped me to make my vision come alive. I'm sure someone here can help. My thoughts would be doing a name build maybe with a switcher for new tuff. I don't know if that's possible but it's a thought.
J
jassin000
I love my Vewlix's and I'd never go back to a CRT based cab again!
That being said, do you have any idea how much $$$ I've spent on my cabs???
Not trying to brag, just let you know that Vewlix is the polar opposite of budget.
I made this handy reference image for you...
I could have gotten 10 Blast City's (not joking) for what I paid for my two Vewlix's all tweaked out.
That being said, do you have any idea how much $$$ I've spent on my cabs???
Not trying to brag, just let you know that Vewlix is the polar opposite of budget.
I made this handy reference image for you...
I could have gotten 10 Blast City's (not joking) for what I paid for my two Vewlix's all tweaked out.
Welcome!
IMHO, you really need at least 3 cabs: 1 Vewlix for "modern" arcade games (like USF4 or Guilty Gear), 1 CRT cab ( horizontal) for more "classic" 4:3 material (think Neo Geo and CPS) and 1 CRT cab (rotated vertical) for shmups.
If you can only go with 1 cab, I would choose based on what you will be playing the most. I play Neo Geo games on my Vewlix -- and they look good -- but they would look better in an SNK SC19 CRT cabinet (anyone have 1 for sale?).
Hah hah! The Vewlix is definitely a money vortex! But they are soooooo pretty.
IMHO, you really need at least 3 cabs: 1 Vewlix for "modern" arcade games (like USF4 or Guilty Gear), 1 CRT cab ( horizontal) for more "classic" 4:3 material (think Neo Geo and CPS) and 1 CRT cab (rotated vertical) for shmups.
If you can only go with 1 cab, I would choose based on what you will be playing the most. I play Neo Geo games on my Vewlix -- and they look good -- but they would look better in an SNK SC19 CRT cabinet (anyone have 1 for sale?).
StardustBreaker
Beginner
Their cost is why I've tried to avoid getting one.I even thought of getting a candy and modding it with an lcd but always came to the conclusion that for all that hassle I might as well just get a vewlix. I guess my wallet will just have to sufferI love my Vewlix's and I'd never go back to a CRT based cab again!
That being said, do you have any idea how much $$$ I've spent on my cabs???
Not trying to brag, just let you know that Vewlix is the polar opposite of budget.
I made this handy reference image for you...
I could have gotten 10 Blast City's (not joking) for what I paid for my two Vewlix's all tweaked out.
J
jassin000
Ah, but how would you deal with the fact that 99.9% of candy cabs have 27" (JPN 29") 4:3 ratio screens?
The largest 4:3 aspect ratio LCD you can purchase today is 20.1", that will leave you with a huge gap/hole/void on the sides when centered.
Nope I've fully explored this, unless you also make a custom bezel for the cab in question it's never going to look right/professional.
Even if you did make a custom, the borders of the bezel will be very thick/look strange with a 20" 4:3...
You would be better off with a 16:9 ratio LCD, at least it would fit one dimension (horizontal or vertical) correctly/completely.
At the end of the day, it's a "frankencab" and not something I would personally feel good about having/displaying in my collection.
Last edited by a moderator:
StardustBreaker
Beginner
I was actually planning on using a widescreen monitor with a custom bezel similar to this
but once I saw what went into making it I decided a vewlix would be a better idea.
Edit
J
jassin000
Lots of edits to my original post above.
Yes that E2 with the LCD looks amazing! I wish someone made a kit to easily accomplish this.
Basically a custom bezel and LCD VESA mount in-one solution, all plug'n play.
Daring to dream big... If this fantasy kit was licensed by Taito or Sega, it would be official.
Then my statement of "frankencab" is tossed out.
Frankencab = Any modifications outside of the original manufacturer spec/parts.
Yes that E2 with the LCD looks amazing! I wish someone made a kit to easily accomplish this.
Basically a custom bezel and LCD VESA mount in-one solution, all plug'n play.
Daring to dream big... If this fantasy kit was licensed by Taito or Sega, it would be official.
Then my statement of "frankencab" is tossed out.
Frankencab = Any modifications outside of the original manufacturer spec/parts.
