I love my Technics 1200MK2 turntables… the first and only pair I’ve ever owned.
Technics SL-1200MK2
(from Wikipedia) 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 Ones and Twos”. In the autumn of 2010, Panasonic announced that the series was to be discontinued due to marketplace conditions.[3] [4]
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.”[5]
At the London Science Museum, Technics SL-1210 is on display[6] as one of the pieces of technology that have shaped the world we live in.[7]
The Technics SL-1200 series
Technics SL-1200 Production Ceased in late-2010
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.
