Description

Type Turntable
Inventor Matsushita Electric
Inception 1972
Manufacturer Technics (a brand of Panasonic Corporation)
Available 1972–2010, 2016–present
Website Technics SL1200
The Technics SL-1200 is a series of direct-drive turntables manufactured from October 1972 to 2010, with production resuming in 2016, by Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic Corporation) under the brand name of Technics. The S and L stand for “stereo” and “player” respectively. Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among radio and disco club disc jockeys. The direct drive, high torque motor design made it suitable for push-button cueing for selecting tracks on radio broadcasts and in dance clubs. Additionaly, the Technics SL-1200 series also had the capability for pitch control, allowing the user to change the turning speed of the record, and thereby tempo, gradually from -8% to +8%. This feature was specifically interesting for DJs who were mixing two or more records, especially in dance clubs.

When the use of slipmats for cueing and beat-mixing (and scratching) became popular in hip hop music, the quartz-controlled high torque motor system enabled records to be mixed with consistency and accuracy. A primary design goal was for high fidelity, but having good build quality, control over wow and flutter, and minimized resonance made the equipment particularly suitable for use in nightclubs and other public-address applications. Since its release in 1979, the SL-1200MK2 and its successors were the most common turntables for DJing and scratching.

SL-1200s are commonly used in recording studios and for non-electronic live music performances. More than 3 million units were sold. Many 1970s units are still in heavy use. In the autumn of 2010, Panasonic announced that the series was to be discontinued. The Technics brand was discontinued at the same time, but relaunched in 2014, focusing on higher end and more expensive products. The company was aware that Technics was expected to eventually make turntables again, so at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, Panasonic announced that they would return in two models named “Grand Class”: one a limited run of 1200 units globally (1200GAE), and the other a consumer product (1200G). A lighter and less expensive 1200GR model was announced. The more affordable and DJ-oriented SL-1200 MK7 followed in 2019.

At the London Science Museum, an SL-1210MK2 is on display as one of the pieces of technology that was responsible for “making the Modern World”.

History
See also: Turntablism
The SL-1200 was developed in 1971 by a team led by Shuichi Obata at Matsushita, and was released to the market in 1972.[7] It was adopted by New York City hip hop DJs such as Grandmaster Flash in the 1970s. As they experimented with the SL-1200 decks, they developed scratching techniques when they found that the motor would continue to spin at the correct RPM even if the DJ wiggled the record back and forth on the platter.

Legacy models
Original model (1972)

The original SL-1200 from 1972

The Technics EPA-120 tonearm was standard equipment on the original SL-1200 and was significantly different from the tonearm introduced with the MK2 and subsequent models.
SL-1200
The SL-1200 was introduced in 1972 as an evolution to the popular SL-1100. It was dubbed “The Middle Class Player System”. It was delivered in two different versions: the SL-1200 and the SL-120. The SL-1200 came with a tonearm section. The SL-120 came without a tonearm section. An SME tonearm was the usual choice for the audiophile.

MK2 models (1979-2010)
The SL-1200 Mark 2 was introduced in 1979 as an update to the SL-1200. It represented a culmination of Technics Turntable Innovations. It was dubbed “The Middle Class Quartz Direct Drive”. It soon found its way into discos as well as radio stations for airplay because of its vibration-damping ability and resistance to feedback, and eventually, it became popular with pioneering hip-hop DJs. Following their established formula, Technics offered different model numbers in Europe: the 1200 (silver) and the 1210 (matte black), which were equipped with switchable dual voltage (110V or 220V) power supplies. Initially, there were only silver models (all named 1200 MK2) in official distribution in Japan and the US (Single voltage of 100V/120V accordingly). However, later the 1200 was available in both silver and matte black finishes (in Japan, the introduction of the MK3 in 1989 marked the first official introduction of a black version). Since 1997, the MK2 had the pitch slide potentiometer changed from 6 pin to 8 pin mounting with part number SFDZ122N11 and later from 20k ohm to 22k ohm, part number SFDZ122N11-1 up until late 1996. After which, part number SFDZ122N11-2 was the preferred option which had a +/- 0.5mm quartz travel lock, much shorter than previous versions. This meant that the null point on the centre voltage tap was slightly bigger, thus removing the quartz lock conflict.

The earlier MK2 models, between 1978 and 1983 or so, also have a different construction in the rubber base of the turntable. These turntables were made with a base that was completely rubber, whereas the newer version has 2 separate parts: rubber outside and a bakelite inlay that makes it considerably easier to take apart.

SL-1200MK2
Released in the summer of 1979, this model came in both silver and matte black. The matte black version was available for a limited time in the US market in a 2-pack, SL-1200MK2PK.[9] Technics improved the motor and shock resistance and changed the rotary pitch control to a slider style. This became the base model and is the oldest whose production continued until 2010. The older version of this model that was sold from 1979 until around 1983 has a large 4-inch-diameter (100 mm) plate where the RCA and ground wires enter the unit, while the newer version has a smaller 2-inch-diameter (51 mm) hole in the rubber where the RCA and ground enter. International versions of the SL-1200MK2 included switches for line voltage and frequency beneath the platter.

SL-1210MK2

Technics SL-1210MK2, black metallic
This model came in a satin black metallic finish and is nearly the same in function as the SL-1200MK2, although some of the circuitry inside is updated to use fewer types of potentiometers and resistors. The Technics 1210 series also had a switch to change between voltages on the underside of the platter. It was unavailable from official Panasonic dealers in the United States