Technics SL-1200
Profile
The Technics SL-1200 is a series of turntables manufactured by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. As of 2004, the Technics SL-1200 MK2 is the industry standard turntable for DJ'ing and scratching, MK2 stands for Mark 2, and is an improvement of the Technics SL-1200 first made in October 1972. The MK2 was released in 1978 had several improvements including the motor and casing. Since 1972, more than 3 million units have been sold.
The features that set this turntable apart are:
- a magnetic direct drive, which means there is no wear on the driving mechanism;
- an almost indestructible turntable;
- a high torque (1.5kg/cm), which means the platter will start spinning at the desired speed almost immediately (0.7 second);
- a very low wow and flutter (0.01%), which means that the platter will stay within 1/100th of 1% of the desired speed
- a very heavy base (12kg) which dramatically reduces the likelihood of feedback or stylus jumping; and
- variable pitch control, which allows the turning speed of the platter to be adjusted from -8% to +8% (for the purpose of beatmatching)
1974
The industry standard turntable, the Technics SL-1200 was first released in 1974. In 1979, the current "MK2" version was released, which added quartz direct-drive accuracy. In addition, the SL-1200MK2 features: feather touch start/stop button, heavy duty aluminum platter, adjustable weights on tone arm, S-shaped tone arm, anti-skating control, high torque motor, removable headshell, slide pitch control (+/-8%), removable dust cover, and pop up target light. Cartridge sold separately.
Pitch Control
Why did Technics invent a pitch adjust when they released the SL-1200MK2 turntable? This is a common myth amongst club DJ's - that the pitch adjust feature and beat matching in general originated when the "1200" was released. First, beat matching was introduced to the masses at New York's Sanctuary nightclub around 1969 by DJ Francis Grasso. Second, the pitch adjust feature - essential for beat matching - has been around for quite some time and can trace its roots to differences in rpm's (not to be confused with bpm's).SL-1200Mk2
Sometime in the early 70's Technics released the original SL-1200 as a hi-fi turntable. Then sometime around 1978-79 they did some work improving the motor, redesigning the casing, adding a separate ground wire, etc. and released the SL-1200Mark2. This is what the majority of DJ's have and this design still endures today. The SL-1200Mk2 is the only version officially authorized for sale in the U.S. by Technics. The following derivatives are available on the gray market in the U.S. and are international versions (110/220V). The SL-1210Mk2 is essentially the 1200Mk2 except in black. Everything else is the same(## word has it that the 1210 is lighter than the 1200 and is more susceptible to rumble, etc.). (## To confirm that the 1200 and 1210 Mk2's are the same electronically speaking, the service manuals are identical for either model.) The SL-1200Mk3 is also in black but is supposed to have a better motor and other improvements. http://music.hyperreal.org/dj/sl1200.htmlBuy Two
- Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable
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The Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable may be a staple among DJs, but its sturdy build and handy features are bound to endear themselves to all who love good music and hanker for vinyl. Whether you can't find that same purity of tone and sense of air around the music in CDs or you just have a wealth of music you can't hear otherwise, there are plenty of good reasons to invest in a turntable in the 21st century. [...]
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