| Inventor | Matsushita |
|---|---|
| Launch year | 1972 |
| Company | Technics |
| Availability | Ceased Production[1] |
| Last production year | 2010 |
| Notes | Production ceased in late 2010[1][2] |
| Technics SL1200 | |
The Technics SL-1200 MK2 MK3 MK4 MK5 MK5G M5G MK6 LTD & GLD are a series of turntables manufactured since October 1972 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. S means "Stereo", L means "Player". Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among radio and club disc jockeys. Since its release in 1978, SL-1200MK2 and its successors have been the most common turntable for DJing and scratching. The MK2 presented several improvements, including to the motor and casing. Since 1972, more than 3 million units have been sold. It is widely regarded as one of the most durable and reliable turntables ever produced. Many of the models manufactured in the 1970s are still in heavy use. Rappers have referred to the turntable in pairs as "1200s", "Tee 12s", "Technics", "Tec 12s", "wheels of steel" and "the one and twos". In the autumn of 2010, Panasonic announced that the series was to be discontinued due to marketplace conditions.[3]
According to notable journalist Tom Terrell of NPR, the Technics 1200 SL direct-drive turntable is "the most important musical instrument of the last two-and-a-half decades."[4]
At the London Science Museum, Technics SL-1210 is on display[5] as one of the pieces of technology that have shaped the world we live in.[6]
Contents |
Some of the features that set the SL-1200 apart are:
The SL-1200 Mark 2 was introduced in 1979 . It was an update to the popular SL-1200 series. It again represented a culmination of Technics Turntable Innovations. It was dubbed as "The Middle Class Quartz Direct Drive". It was not released as a "Professional Model, but became popular with pioneering hip-hop DJ's. It soon after found its way into Disco's as well as Radio Stations for airplay because of its increased Vibration Damping Ability and resistance to feedback.
An ON/Off Control Knob A START / STOP button Updated Grounding System Improved Direct Drive Motor Improved Integrated Circuitry Quartz Synthesized Motor Lock Improved Drive Motor Insulation A Single Straight Pitch Control Variable Resistor Pure Rubber Chassis Base for Anti -Vibration Plackback Stylus Illuminator Lite for placement of Stylus in low light conditions A new Computer Designed, Fully Balanced Tonearm Gimble System
A START / STOP button provided quick starts as well as quick stops The power selector was changed to a knob which rotates clockwise to engage system power A single Fader Slide Variable Resistor controls Pitch Variation of +/- 8% of selected platter speed Also The MK2 models were sold in Europe with different model numbers indicating a different colour; the 1200 (silver) and 1210 (matte black). This was the same in the USA (and Japan) initially, however later the 1200 was available in both silver and matte black finishes.
Only available in Japan / SE Asia Markets Price in US funds is about $650.00. It has a matte black finish like the MK2, This model is aimed at the hi-end audiophile market rather than for DJs. This is the last model made with the detent ("click") in the middle of the pitch adjustment slider. It has a third button added for 78 RPM located to the right of the 33 RPM and 45 RPM buttons. It is also designed to be used with regular removable RCA cables (along with a removable ground/earth cable) rather than having hard wired RCA cables like all the other 1200/1210 models.
78 RPM speed selector A Titanium Tonearm Section Female RCA connectors and Ground Knob
A START / STOP button provided quick starts as well as quick stops The power selector was changed to a knob which rotates clockwise to engage system power A single Fader Slide Variable Resistor controls Pitch Variation of +/- 8% of selected platter speed.
These were limited edition versions, with 24 karat gold plated metal parts including tonearm and buttons.
There were only 10,000 made and sold worldwide. These units sold out in less than 1 year time. wholly based on the MK3, it has a piano black gloss finish and Tonearm & accessories have been 24K Gold Plated. Price in US funds was about $1200.00.
It is possible to tell the year (and the month) when the SL-1200 was manufactured from the serial number on the back or bottom of the turntable. SL-1200 serial numbers are in two different formats, depending on the date of manufacture. It isn't exactly possible to determine the decade in which the SL-1200 in question was manufactured, as the serial number contains only the last digit of the year. If the year digit is 8, the turntable may have been manufactured in 1978, 1988, 1998 or 2008. If the year digit is 0, the turntable may have been manufactured in 1980, 1990 or 2000. One rule of thumb is that old-format serial numbers belong to SL-1200s manufactured during the 1970s and 1980s, while new-format serial numbers belong to SL-1200s manufactured during the 1990s and beyond.
Old-format serial number: NHOJF20765 (SL-1200 manufactured 1982)
The first digit shows the year when the turntable was manufactured. These serial numbers contain no indication of the month of manufacture. It should be noted that serial numbers in this format contain no letters following digits.
New-format serial number: GE4FB001154 (SL-1200MK2 manufactured June 2004)
The first digit shows the year when the turntable was manufactured, while the month of manufacture is indicated by the letter following it. Months are coded as letters between A and L inclusive; A indicates January, B indicates February, and so on, so F indicates June.
There are also at least two other serial number formats that were used by Technics on early SL1200MK2 models. "DA22 17D142" and "MJ7821F287" are examples of serial numbers seen on early production units that both lacked mounting provisions for the internal "bottom base" (Technics part # SFAU122-02) and possessed a different style of dust cover hinges.
In addition to the above, all the SL-1200MK2s from the 1970s and early 1980s have a 4-inch-diameter (100 mm) plate where the RCA and ground wires enter the chassis in the rubber base of the unit. The later models have a smaller hole through which the wires enter the unit.
The SL-1200 series was developed as a special project by Technics parent company Matsushita in an attempt to solve many of the problems related to the difficult task of turntable design. The task included minimizing acoustic feedback, unwanted resonances, wow & flutter and speed errors.
This was achieved by designing a remarkably heavy plinth made of a non-resonant composite sandwiched between a cast alloy top plate and a solid rubber base. In addition, the adjustable rubber-damped feet ensure that the Technics SL-1200 series are well-insulated against acoustic feedback, which can be a serious problem when operating a turntable in close proximity to PA loudspeakers (a common situation for DJ's).
The drive system designed by Matsushita is of the direct-drive variety rather than the more commonly found belt-drive type. This design was developed in order to virtually eliminate the problems of wow and flutter and produces a very quiet turntable which, for a direct-drive turntable, has minimal motor and bearing noise, (although the bearing rumble does tend to become characteristic in well-used turntables). This was partially achieved through the fact that the SL1210/1200 was the first (and only) turntable to actually make the platter a part of the motor mechanism as opposed to just being attached to it via screws or magnets as is the case with most direct-drive turntables. On the underside of the platter there is a large magnet which, once placed over the spindle, surrounds the coils and forms the motor drive thus eliminating loss through power transfer. The SL-1200 utilizes a Frequency Generator Servo Control Quartz Lock system that is claimed to produce the most accurate and consistent speed possible. The system is immune to static and dynamic stylus drag which would otherwise cause unwanted speed variances that change the pitch and tempo of the music.[ref: SL1200MK2 Service Manual. Specifications. Speed Change Due To Load Torque: 0% within 1 kg-cm] Due to these strengths the SL-1200 lends itself to both Hi-Fi reproduction and demanding DJ usage.
Some of the features that made the SL-1200 MK2-A an Industry standard can be improved in quality:
On 1 November 2010, Panasonic made the following statement on the DMC World DJ Championships home page.[1]
Panasonic reactive statement - Production of analogue turntables has ceased
Panasonic has confirmed that it ceased the production of its Technics-branded analogue turntables this autumn.
After more than 35 years as a leading manufacturer of analogue turntables, Panasonic has regretfully taken the decision to leave this market. However, Panasonic will continue to sell headphones under the Technics brand.
We are sure that retailers and consumers will understand that our product range has to reflect the accelerating transformation of the entire audio market from analogue to digital.
In addition, the number of component suppliers serving the analogue market has dwindled in recent years and we brought forward the decision to leave the market rather than risk being unable to fulfil future orders because of a lack of parts.
Panasonic employees who have been working on the analogue turntable range have been redeployed elsewhere within Panasonic - many of them continuing to work in Panasonic´s Audio Video Business Unit.