Jack Guarnieri

When Jersey Jack Pinball’s Jack Guarnieri puts out a call to all pinball enthusiasts, we sit up and take note!

The Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) team will be keeping busy in March as they hit the event circuit by attending the Louisville Arcade Expo this coming weekend (March 3 – 5) and then the Texas Pinball Festival (March 24 – 26). JJP will be taking their finest games to these mighty fine events – we just wish we could be there too!

Finally, we had to share this great pinball note from Jack Guarnieri about Dialed In!:

“As most of you know by now, our newest game, Dialed In!, is designed by the legendary Pat Lawlor, himself. This game is special for so many reasons, but the story of how Pat became involved is special, and one I thought you might enjoy.

In 2011, I found myself renting a building from Pat in Harvard, IL for JJP. I knew he had been retired for several years, but welcomed him to see the work we were doing and shared our vision. Pat saw that vision come to life with our first game, The Wizard of Oz, and grew excited. He began to toy with the idea of returning to pinball design – one day.

By late 2013, after expressing his interest, we made Pat part of the JJP team – a pivotal decision for the company. The idea was simple: design an unlicensed, original game – something directly from Pat’s imagination.

Fast forward to the birth of Dialed In! What a game. I have to tell you, the result is amazing, and the reaction of people who’ve played it has been incredibly gratifying and such an affirmation of Pat’s genius. In it, we’ve built a game with groundbreaking technology and features never before seen in a pinball machine.

Ever the dedicated pro, Pat has been visiting the game in the field, studying it and making signature tweaks. I can’t ever remember a new game having received such care and attention.

As we near production, we want to give everyone interested in owning a Dialed In! an opportunity stake their claim now on this historic game with a completely refundable deposit of $250, and balance due upon game production.

We hope you’ll take advantage of this offer and stop by our upcoming events (more below) to experience Dialed In! for yourself: a game that embodies true passion for a game we all love.”

Jersey Jack Pinball’s Jack Guarnieri at the Australian unveiling of Dialed In!

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If you weren’t aware, there is more than one player in the pinball manufacturing business. Jersey Jack Pinball started in January 2011 and immediately took the pinball scene by storm, creating and releasing innovative, fun and quality pinball machines. This trailblazing pinball company was founded by Jack Guarnieri, an amusement veteran of some forty years and a visionary that understands that pinball must break new ground in features and technology to keep players interested and to attract new ones to this wonderful game we call pinball.

In their short history, Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) has introduced a number of pinball innovations; the high quality backboard LCD-HD screen, RGB-LED playfield lighting, rich audio, QR codes with social media integration and exquisite playfield toys to name just a few. Keeping this ground breaking momentum isn’t easy, but JJP understands that it is crucial to their continuing success.

JJP definitely took a leap of faith with their latest machine, Dialed In – it is refreshing to see a pinball company take a risk and be at the bleeding edge of pinball design and technology! Pinball designer extraordinaire, Pat Lawlor jumped on board and has integrated a number of mind-blowing features, like Bluetooth connectivity enabling additional player capabilities through a smartphone and a camera that emblazons player selfies on the backboard LCD screen. You would think that Dialed In’s original concept may not attract players to it, but we reckon Pat Lawlor and Jersey Jack Pinball have absolutely nailed it! With the game being meticulously developed over a number of years, it shows that no stone has been left unturned for an engrossing and engaging experience. With only the software left to be completed by the legendary Ted Estes, we can’t wait to see the final result!

Dialed In undercover! Waiting for the Australian unveiling

The unveiling of Dialed In! The anticipation was unbearable!

This past weekend, Mr Pinball and Bayside Pinball Club hosted the Jersey Jack Pinball event, with JJP founder and CEO, Jack Guarnieri as the guest of honour. Jack’s Australian unveiling of Dialed In drew a capacity crowd at the Sandbelt Hotel in south-east Melbourne. Eager onlookers could not wait to get their first glimpse of the machine and have a play. Once the machine was available for play, it was like moths to a flame – the queue to play the machine became longer by the second! We were glad that we waited for our turn, as playing Dialed In was a mesmerising experience that left us wanting to play it over and over again. The playfield was inviting, the ‘feel’ of the flippers felt right, the flow of the silverball was precise and that rich thumping audio was just so visceral! Dialed In is already a winner from our brief experience!

Meeting Jersey Jack Pinball’s Jack Guarnieri was both an honour and a humbling experience

The crowd is abuzz awaiting Jack’s inaugural Australian keynote speech!

The other highlight of the event was meeting Jack. Greeted by a warm hug, we knew that Jack was the kind of person we could immediately call our friend. Jack’s eagerness to get to know people, his intellect and humour made him very endearing. He made himself available for people to approach him, even going without food all day to ensure that he got to meet as many folks as possible. Jack’s keynote speech at the unveiling of Dialed In and the Q&A session were great insights into the man and the JJP company, from his fascinating beginnings in Manhattan and the Jersey Shore, to pinball operations, manufacturing and distribution. We hope that Jack returns to Australia in the not too distant future!

Many thanks to Wayne Gillard from Mr Pinball and Lucas Bardin from Bayside Pinball Club for putting on such a great event!

Jack introduces Pat Lawlor’s original concept game, Dialed In! And it’s a beauty!

The crowd gathers to take a closer look!