|
Technics DJ Turntables - a guide
OK, you're reading this because somewhere, somebody told you or you figured out that the Technics SL1200/1210 MK2-MK5 DJ turntables are the best in the world. Good news: that's true! Even better news: one made in 1983 is just as rock solid as one made in 2003, depending on the life it's had. Knowing this, you can start cruising eBay for a righteous pair of decks that should last you well into old age.
There are quite a few variants of the 1200, but they're all quite similar and many times parts are interchangeable. But the first, thing to know is that the SL1200 Mk1 (plain sl1200) is NOT the deck you need. It's relatively rare and would be ill-suited to the rigors of the road, and not much good for modern DJ use, even in a studio environment. Mk2 through Mk5 are the ones you want.
The Mk2 is the most common, and you'll be able to get parts and service anywhere from London to Caracas to Islamabad and anywhere in between. The M3D was introduced in the late 90's, the slight redesign being a recessed power switch to guard against accidental shutoff and the removal of the detent (click) at pitch zero. For true quartz pitch lock, a button to the side of the control slider is provided. These design elements carry through to the modern Mk5 series. The Mk3 is black with gold plated connectors, and the Mk4 (which you are extremely unlikely to find) has a 78rpm speed in addition to 33 and 45. Both were only released in Asia.
The current cream of the crop is the SL1210Mk5G, which has a piano-black finish, blue LED lights, and an additonal button that switches the pitch control from +/-8 to +/-16 rpm. This model also has the next generation tonearm base with two additional adjustments to enhance stability in battle/scratch situations. The last letter or two letters in the serial number will tell you where the deck was supposed to be originally sold. M is USA, MC is Canada, XA/XG is Asia, Oceania, and US military market, etc.
...read the full guide with pics here
|
