# Episode 968: "A Very Tired Kaneda Gets GN'R"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-06-21  
**Duration:** 18m 48s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-968-very-106579460

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## Analysis

Kaneda discusses his exhausting week moving a Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition (#500) into his new home while juggling a newborn, house move, and new cars. He shares lessons learned about not rushing to mod new machines, details the community support he received during a frustrating code update process, and provides early impressions comparing GNR's darker aesthetic and multiball-heavy gameplay to Elton John. He also comments on Butch Peel's departure from Chicago Gaming Company and speculates about a potential return to Jersey Jack Pinball.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition #500 has been in storage for three and a half years — _Kaneda directly states he owns GNR CE #500 that has sat in a box for 3.5 years; mentions washers had sunken into playfield after storage_
- [HIGH] Miracle playfields used in Guns N' Roses production are 'trash' and have metal washers that sink into the playfield — _Kaneda directly criticizes Miracle playfields, explains washer sinking issue observed in his machine after 3+ years storage; describes 80% of posts requiring washer adjustment_
- [HIGH] Guns N' Roses is significantly darker/lower GI lighting than Elton John, which has twice as many hot rails — _Kaneda compares direct gameplay experience: 'Elton John is so much brighter like the whole game is lit up much more bright... guns and roses a lot darker... because they have twice as many hot rails in the game'_
- [HIGH] GNR code 3.02 update required using Etcher program to create bootable USB; initial installation looped indefinitely on older flash drive — _Kaneda describes frustrating update process at 3am: kept installing repeatedly on old drive, worked immediately with new flash drive using Etcher program_
- [MEDIUM] Butch Peel left Chicago Gaming Company because the company doesn't release pinball machines — _Kaneda speculates: 'He makes the greatest schematics and manuals for pinball machines, but he's working at a company that doesn't release pinball machines'_
- [LOW] Pat Lawler's management style at JJP involved resistance to criticism; Butch Peel left JJP because Pat Lawler didn't want him finding mistakes — _Kaneda speculates on reason for Butch's original departure: 'Butch Peel would find the mistakes that Pat Lawler made. And Pat Lawler doesn't like being told he's wrong'_
- [HIGH] Jersey Jack Pinball customer service (Ken and Doris) responded instantly to requests for replacement parts and stickers — _Kaneda reports: 'Doris over at Jersey Jack Pinball is already mailing me one' (splitter); 'Ken over from Jersey Jack Pinball said he's going to try to locate a set to get to me' (record stickers)_
- [HIGH] Guns N' Roses is 'multiball heavy' and requires settings adjustments to reduce frequency — _Kaneda describes gameplay: 'even as i was playing the game and you start a song i know all these balls are coming at you and you don't even really have time to line up a shot' and asks community about settings to make it 'not crazy multi-ball heavy'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Don't do anything. Don't add stuff to it. Don't rush to add mods and do all these changes. Just turn it on and enjoy it. I did not do that."
> — **Kaneda**, early in episode
> _Core lesson Kaneda learned the hard way; directly addresses common new owner behavior_

> "When you get a Jersey Jack machine on an angle like that, wanting to use gravity to throw you down the stairs, I was really worried that at some point moving this game, that it was gonna slide down and Derek was gonna go supermanning through the window"
> — **Kaneda**, during move description
> _Humorous but illustrates the physical difficulty of moving heavy machines; 370 lb weight mentioned_

> "I know what mushy Jersey Jack flippers feel like. I don't need to feel it again. And so the game is working."
> — **Kaneda**, modifications section
> _References known JJP flipper quality issue; justifies immediate IO board swap_

> "Guns N' Roses a lot darker but again guns and roses is going for more of that concert vibe where the lights are setting the mood"
> — **Kaneda**, game comparison section
> _Contextualizes design philosophy difference between GNR and Elton John; understands intentional aesthetic choice_

> "Without this community I don't think I would have figured it out last night because the instructions that Jersey Jack give you yeah like they not the easiest to figure out"
> — **Kaneda**, code update discussion
> _Acknowledges community support during technical crisis; critiques JJP documentation quality_

> "I really hope that Jack Guarneri and the folks over at JJP call up Butch and bring him back... The reason why Pat Lawler didn't want him around anymore, because Butch Peel would find the mistakes that Pat Lawler made."
> — **Kaneda**, industry news section
> _Speculation about personnel dynamics at JJP post-Pat Lawler; indicates internal conflict awareness_

> "I am going to get back into my routine, the routine you love very soon. You don't want to hear me talk about mowing the lawn or air air conditioning problems with the car."
> — **Kaneda**, closing section
> _Acknowledges content pivot during life transition; commits to returning to news/analysis format_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kaneda | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; exhausted from moving to new state with newborn; just acquired GNR CE #500 |
| Derek Musket | person | 6'4" pinball machine mover operating on East Coast; helped Kaneda move GNR CE up flight of stairs; communicated with JJP during setup |
| Jack Guarneri | person | Operator/leader at Jersey Jack Pinball; Kaneda speculates about recruiting Butch Peel back to company |
| Butch Peel | person | Creator of schematics and manuals for pinball machines; recently left Chicago Gaming Company; previously worked at JJP under Pat Lawler |
| Pat Lawler | person | Former leadership at Jersey Jack Pinball; reportedly had conflict with Butch Peel over accepting criticism; no longer at JJP |
| Doris | person | Jersey Jack Pinball customer service; sent Kaneda topper splitter |
| Ken | person | Jersey Jack Pinball staff; offered to locate replacement record stickers for Kaneda |
| Dave D. Krom | person | Guest on Kaneda's Pinball Podcast episode; referred to as 'Dave' in opening credits |
| Brenda | person | Kaneda's partner; ordered rug for new house; loves new Kia Carnival minivan |
| Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine; #500 unit; 370 lbs; in storage for 3.5 years; features multiball-heavy gameplay; darker lighting design compared to Elton John |
| Elton John | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine; recently owned by Kaneda; features brighter GI lighting and twice as many hot rails as GNR; superior light show brightness |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer where Butch Peel recently departed; Kaneda notes company doesn't release pinball machines |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of GNR and Elton John; responsive customer service; Pat Lawler formerly in leadership; Kaneda speculates about company 'rounding the corner' with juggernaut games |
| Pinball Life | company | Aftermarket vendor; sells black washers for playfield protection and new pinballs |
| Lermod's | company | Aftermarket vendor; makes light kit upgrades for backbox |
| Pinmonk | company | Aftermarket vendor; makes airball barrier mod |
| Pin Stadium | company | Vendor; sent Kaneda atomic concert install for GNR |
| Pinside | organization | Pinball community forum; Kaneda monitors for news and rumors when routine resumes |
| Naps Arcade | organization | Pinball news/information source; Kaneda reads for scoops and analysis |
| Etcher | product | Software program for creating bootable USB flash drives; community recommended for GNR code 3.02 installation |
| Kia Carnival | product | Minivan Kaneda recently purchased (named 'Brenda'); AC system malfunctioned after software update with only 200 miles |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Machine acquisition and setup experience, Aftermarket modifications and mods, Code updates and technical support, Community engagement and support, Game design comparison (GNR vs Elton John)
- **Secondary:** Jersey Jack Pinball playfield quality issues, Industry personnel moves, Podcast host life transitions

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Despite exhaustion and frustration with technical issues and life logistics, Kaneda expresses genuine happiness about owning GNR CE, deep appreciation for community support during crisis, and excitement about returning to normal content creation. Negative sentiment around Chicago Gaming Company situation and quality concerns tempers overall positivity slightly.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Chicago Gaming Company continues as operational entity but not actively releasing new pinball machines, limiting appeal for skilled technical personnel (confidence: medium) — Kaneda's reasoning for Butch's departure: 'he's working at a company that doesn't release pinball machines. I mean, he couldn't be at a worse place than Chicago Gaming Company'
- **[community_signal]** Community provided critical technical support for GNR code 3.02 update when official documentation was unclear, including identifying Etcher software as solution (confidence: high) — Kaneda states: 'without this community I don think I would have figured it out last night because the instructions that Jersey Jack give you yeah like they not the easiest to figure out'; community helped diagnose USB drive issue at 3am
- **[sentiment_shift]** High community enthusiasm for Kaneda's GNR acquisition and machine setup; multiple unsolicited offers of replacement parts and stickers from both community and JJP (confidence: high) — Kaneda reports: 'so many people watch me do that stupid thing... more record stickers inbound now that I'll know what to do with'; Doris and Ken proactively offered parts; Derek texting with Jack during setup
- **[design_philosophy]** Guns N' Roses deliberately designed with darker lighting to evoke concert atmosphere versus Elton John's brighter, more lit playfield aesthetic (confidence: high) — Kaneda observes: 'guns and roses is going for more of that concert vibe where the lights are setting the mood' and notes GNR has half as many hot rails as Elton John, resulting in lower baseline GI
- **[community_signal]** Kaneda's podcast production priorities during life transition involve reduced publishing frequency but commitment to returning to news/analysis format once personal situation stabilizes (confidence: high) — Kaneda commits: 'I am going to get back into my routine, the routine you love very soon... I'll talk to you soon' and thanks audience 'for being patient and allowing me to have more space between shows'
- **[personnel_signal]** Butch Peel departed Chicago Gaming Company after previous tenure at Jersey Jack Pinball (confidence: high) — Kaneda confirms: 'Butch Peel has left Chicago Gaming Company'; notes he 'makes the greatest schematics and manuals' but company doesn't release machines; speculates about return to JJP
- **[product_strategy]** Guns N' Roses multiball frequency is notably higher than baseline, requiring settings adjustments to achieve playable balance (confidence: medium) — Kaneda describes gameplay: 'all these balls are coming at you and you don't even really have time to line up a shot'; asks community: 'after you install code 3.02, do you know what the best settings are for the game so that it is not crazy multi-ball heavy'
- **[product_concern]** Jersey Jack Pinball flipper quality issues (mushy response) are well-known to experienced players; IO board upgrades frequently deployed as standard practice (confidence: high) — Kaneda states: 'I know what mushy Jersey Jack flippers feel like. I don't need to feel it again' and immediately swapped IO board despite recommendations to play with stock setup first
- **[product_concern]** Miracle playfields used in Guns N' Roses production have significant quality issues with metal washers sinking into playfield after extended storage (confidence: high) — Kaneda describes washers as having 'sunken so much it was like in the clear' after 3+ years storage; 80% of posts required adjustment; wrinkled artwork on at least one post; calls playfields 'trash'

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## Transcript

 You in the jungle, baby! Wake up! Time to dance! Welcome everybody to Canada's Pinball Podcast. It has been a jungle of a week. I can tell you know that I'm exhausted. to do all this at once, a new baby, move to a new house in a new state, get two new cars, add your three and a half year old pinball machine into the home, have to lug it up a flight of stairs without a dolly. We're going to talk about what a crazy week it's been for Canadian Spinball Podcast. I am at the point now where my batteries are empty, but I'm still going to do a show, I want to say welcome to Canadian Spinball Podcast, to Dan Keller, to Mike Penrosa. We've got Dave in the house, Dave D. Krom. We've got Brett. We've got Zoe. We've got Pat's Arcade. We've got the Clown Puncher. That's an interesting name for Canadian Spinball Podcast. But everybody, welcome to this show. And I'm so happy to be doing this show right now and looking over my shoulder and seeing this beautiful Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition number 500, which me and Derek Musket, who, by the way, if you need a pinball machine moved in the East Coast of America, please consider Derek Musket. Now, he moves one game at a time. It like fits into his tiny Honda fit. But Derek and I successfully moved this incredibly heavy Guns N' Roses game up a flight of stairs. And here's how the day went. And I just want to explain how we went from moving a pin in at 7 o'clock in the morning to Kaneda fumbling over his game, trying to figure out how to update the code, destroying his record on the game itself. I've got more records coming in than I know what to do with. Thank you so much, everybody. And at the end of the day, in one of the most exhausting days in my adult life, the thing I learned, a few things I learned yesterday, first and foremost, when you get a new pinball machine, just enjoy it for a few hours. That's it. Don't do anything. Don't add stuff to it. Don't rush to add mods and do all these changes. Just turn it on and enjoy it. I did not do that. Okay, so we're going to get to that lesson I learned. I also learned a lesson that if you're going to move a pinball machine up a flight of stairs, make sure you hire someone who's like 6'4", like Derek. Make sure you've been going to the gym for a bunch of years. because I will tell you this, the way we did it, we got the game into the ground floor and there maybe was just a few inches between the end of the staircase and the window. And we basically had to lean it over without a dolly and go one, two, three, lift and get it onto one step at a time. This is our new home. And so I did not want to destroy the steps. And so we had to put towels down on the steps and we went one step at a time. And I'll tell you this, even though this game weighs something like 370 pounds, when you get a Jersey Jack machine on an angle like that, wanting to use gravity to throw you down the stairs, I was really worried that at some point moving this game, that it was gonna slide down and Derek was gonna go supermanning through the window and that would be it. I'd have like a tombstone on my front yard for Derek Musket. Here lies Derek, killed by Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition. But we went one step at a time, and then we got it upstairs. He helped me set up the game with putting the legs on it and doing everything, putting the topper on it. A few things out of the box just to mention on a Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition that has sat in a box for three and a half years. The only thing missing from the game is a splitter for the topper, which is easy to get. Doris over at Jersey Jack Pinball is already mailing me one. So they've been very amazing and getting back to me instantly on that. Derek was texting with Jack as he was setting up the game which is awesome But it funny though because Derek was texting with Jack and then he calls Jack and Jack didn pick up I mean I guess you know sometimes people just don want to pick up the phone So we get the game up the stairs, we set it up. And I will say this, the game is just gorgeous. No one's going to ever argue that. We set it up, it looks beautiful. And then I make a mistake. I make a mistake. Instead of just playing the game and enjoying it, I made such a mistake. What I did was, you know, we opened it up and the playfield looked perfect. So the first thing I wanted to do before playing a single game was install like those black washers from Pinball Life. It has like three posts and all these black washers you're supposed to put on the game to protect the game. And here I am like a fool. I mean, Kaneda knows better than anybody that these Miracle playfields that were utilized during the build of Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition are trash. They're total trash. And I don't know why I thought I would get a special one. And so I was like, all right, so everything's great. Like I'm not going to have issues if I put these washers down. And now if you've ever installed these washers into the game, let me tell you, it's not the most fun thing to do on day one, hour one of your new pinball machine. But here I am foolishly trying to bulletproof the game. And look, I'm also learning a lesson that I'm not going to be OCD about this game. You know why? Because I already bought from Jersey Jack a backup play field of both the lower and upper play field. So I shouldn't even care. I shouldn't even care. But you know, like everybody out there, you don't want to see like around the posts of your game, the artwork chipping off. And so here's what I discovered. About 80% of these posts are really easy to do. I don't have like the deep socket that goes over the post. I had to use like needle nose pliers to hold the post in place and then use a socket underneath. So that was not a lot of fun. I was very careful. I didn't scratch anything. I didn't cause any issues with the game, but not the most fun thing to do. Now, what I realize is what you're trying to solve for with these crappy Miracle Playfields is they have like a metal washer on all those posts and they're sinking into the game. And the reason why I know this is this game has been in a box for over three years on some of the posts and I took pictures the washer itself had actually sunken so much it was like in the clear basically and I had to like move it back and forth with a post to pop it out of place and on one of them the worst one in the entire game it's just something about this section of the game by the backstage area in the upper right of the game That washer was in so good to get it loose. It actually wrinkled the artwork around it. And so that area is absolutely a ticking time bomb. And I didn't want to take apart the upper play field. I know people said that was easy. So I spent like a good maybe hour, hour and a half just getting like 80% of those black washers down. And then I did something so stupid. for some reason I thought the record on the game was black and it looked like there was like a protective piece over the record that you could pull off and make it shiny black but the record itself is actually more shiny blackish silver and I started to pull off the mylar on my Chinese democracy record on my game which was so stupid and 100% my fault and I chalked that up to baby brain meets moving into a new house meets frustrated with having to even do this work on the play field to just not sleeping with a newborn in the house. And so that was all my fault. And I want to say this. The great news is that so many people watch me do that stupid thing. I think there's more record stickers inbound now that I'll know what to do with. Not only are some people sending some stickers out, Ken over from Jersey Jack Pinball said he's going to try to locate a set to get to me so I'm very thankful for the community that's the second main thing I learned after don't mess with your brand new game just play with it is how awesome this community is because as some of you were on the ride for yesterday when I was trying to do the code update for this game you know wi-fi would take hours and so I was just trying to do the full game install 3.02 using a USB stick. And I want to just say this without this community I don think I would have figured it out last night because the instructions that Jersey Jack give you yeah like they not the easiest to figure out And someone was like you got to use this program Etcher All you got to do if you use that program is download the file, open up Etcher, drag the file over to the USB stick. It'll create a bootable flash drive for you. And here's what's weird is I did it on an older flash drive. and I plugged it into the game, it kept installing it and then installing it again and again and again. And people were like, don't touch it, let it finish. And I'm not even joking when I say this, for some reason, it kept going indefinitely. And so at three o'clock in the morning, I'm like, something's not right here. And I went and I found a new flash drive. I put the code on it and within 10 minutes, it worked. So this is Kaneda telling you right now, after like over three years of not owning a pinball machine, I have a lot of pinball ownership rust that I need to get through, but I'm happy to report as of Thursday, June 20th, I have a fully working, fully functional, beautiful, multiball heavy, Guns N' Roses collector's edition behind me. It looks so awesome in my game room. I'm so happy to be able to play pinball when my children are not home. And I've done the following since having the game here. I've put in the Lermod's light kit in the backbox. I put in the Pinmonk airball barrier. I've also changed the IO board out. You know, some people are like, play a bunch of games with the old IO board. and I had the freaking backbox open with the layer mods installed. I'm like, I'm just going to do it now. I know what mushy Jersey Jack flippers feel like. I don't need to feel it again. And so the game is working. I'm waiting on my pin woofer system and hasn't come in yet. I also got a nice gift from the folks over at pin stadium. They sent me the atomic concert install for this game. So I'm going to give that a try eventually. I just want to have some time on this game before doing much more to it. I put a fresh coat of wax down. I got new pinballs from Pinball Life. And now I'm just looking forward to playing the game. Does anyone out there know after you install code 3.02, do you know what the best settings are for the game so that it is not crazy multiball heavy if you have a link to that because i know there was stuff floating around i'm not sure if anyone has done that on the new code to make sure the game plays a little less multiball heavy because even as i was playing the game and you start a song i know it's still there right where like all these balls are coming at you and you don't even really have time to line up a shot and I know that's Guns N' Roses and I know I will learn to live with it and no it doesn't shoot as good as Elton John the other thing about GNR that's interesting because I do love the GNR light show but coming from Elton John more recently Elton John is so much brighter like the whole game is lit up much more bright and it still has a really awesome light show but when the awesome light show is not going the gi in elton john is much better than the gi in guns and roses and i think that's because they have twice as many hot rails in the game but there's just something about elton it's so beautifully lit up from the moment you start the game um guns and roses a lot darker but again guns and roses is going for more of that concert vibe where the lights are setting the mood so i am super happy that the game is here There's not much else to be done. It does bring me great pleasure to say that this community is amazing. And you guys were watching me fumble over this code installation for a really long time. I don't think I've looked as tired as I looked yesterday on that Facebook Live. And I'm just looking forward to just getting more sleep. For those of you who have moved into a new house, and for those of you who have had a newborn baby, and for those of you that have moved into a different state, Imagine combining all three of those things at once. I mean, the last week, I mean, it's like one thing after another. And now I realize two things. Why city living is so appealing And I also realize why living in the suburbs is so appealing There pros and cons to both I say this five minutes ago our Kia Carnival this minivan I got Brenda which we love it's been pumping out AC so beautifully. I drive Killian to camp. The car makes me do a software upgrade. I do it. There's 200 miles on the car. And now the air conditioning unit is kind of like lukewarm. It's not blowing cold air. I'm just so fed up. It's like the moment I get one thing in place, something else goes wrong. You know, it's funny. We always say numbers don't lie in pinball. Brenda orders a rug for the living room of our house, right? And we had so much time to measure the space. She came here with her friend. They measured the size the rug needs to be. They order it and then we unroll the rug, it's like four feet too big. I was like, who measured this? She's like, well, my friend Alexander. I'm like, how did he measure this measurement? Like this is 12 feet. We need a rug that's nine by seven. It's just unbelievable people. All right. So here's the thing. I want to make a commitment to each and every one of you. I am going to get back into my routine, the routine you love very soon. You don't want to hear me talk about mowing the lawn or air air conditioning problems with the car. But I'm here to tell you right now, we're almost there. We are almost at the point. I'm going to be back and better than ever scouring Pinside, reading Naps Arcade, giving you all the pinball scoops, news rumors, and analysis of pinball that you love. The only difference is now there will be a pinball machine behind me, which is going to be great. I've been looking at what's going on in pinball this week. There's not much news. Butch Peel has left Chicago Gaming Company. I mean, can you blame the guy? He makes the greatest schematics and manuals for pinball machines, but he's working at a company that doesn't release pinball machines. I mean, he couldn't be at a worse place than Chicago Gaming Company. I really hope, and there's only one reason why Butch Peel left Jersey Jack Pinball. It's because of Pat Lawler. And now that Pat Lawler is gone, I really hope that Jack Guarnieri and the folks over at JJP call up Butch and bring him back. I know he has missed being there ever since he left because he had so much pride in what he did. He loved those products so much. And the reason why Pat Lawler didn't want him around anymore, because Butch Peel would find the mistakes that Pat Lawler made. And Pat Lawler doesn't like being told he's wrong. But all that can be pushed aside. And I think Butch would be a great addition to Jersey Jack Pinball as that company rounds the corner and has some juggernaut games that all of us are going to want great manuals for. And I mean real printed bind it manuals, not stuff that's on a screen. Everybody, thank you for still being a member of Canada's Pinball Podcast. I want to just thank each and every one of you for being patient and allowing me to have more space between shows over the last few weeks. Just a lot going on with this family. But I'll tell you this. I love it every time I'm doing anything and I give people my email. I'm like, Canada Pinball. And they're like, why pinball? And I'm like, oh, don't get me started. It's funny because the electrician who put in my TV, he's like, why is your email address this? And I'm like, well, I got a podcast about pinball. and I love when you tell people that you have a podcast about pinball and then he starts to tell me about pinball. He's like, I've got a guy that's got all these rare machines. They're real sparkly and they're limited. Do you know what I'm talking about? And I'm like, bro, I've got no clue what you're talking about. Of course I know what you're talking about, man. Everybody have a great Thursday. Join me for the Saturday morning spectacular if you can. There will be a Guns N' Roses machine all lit up in the background. And maybe the pinwoofer system will come in between now and then. To be honest, having this little baby, I don't even need a better sound system in this game. When the shaker motor is going off, this entire house rumbles, all right? I don't know how long Brendan is going to put up with me. Everybody, love you guys. Thanks for the support. I'll talk to you soon. Can we all get along? Can we get along?

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 637c4c53-2e33-49c6-805a-d964a1f97873*