The industry standard for disk jockeys 'round the globe...
Written: Mar 04 '00 (Updated Jan 28 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The best direct-drive turntable for DJs
Cons: Cost (considering most people have to buy 2 at a time!)
The Bottom Line: It has earned it's reputation as a bulletproof and reliable deck and potential purchasers should be comfortable investing in a pair.
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| gkanai's Full Review: Technics SL-1200 M3D |
For disc jockeys around the Earth, the "Tech Twelves" are the standard for DJing at every night club, party and rave event. Other manufacturers are building much better direct-drive turntables these days but the industry standard and DJ favorite is most definitely the Technics. Direct-drive is an important feature because belt-driven turntables do not have enough torque for scratching and are much more difficult to use for mixing two records.
The Technics SL1200 (any model) is the turntable of choice of both "selectors" (those DJs who mix songs together to create "sets" of music) as well as "turntablists" (who use the turntable and records to "scratch" as if it was a musical instrument itself.) Aspiring DJs (whether you're going to scratch, spin house, trance, breakbeat, hip hop, drum'n'bass, or country) should beg, borrow or save up the funds to purchase a pair of these turntables.
A question often asked by aspiring or beginner DJs is: "Do I really have to pay for the Technics?" And the answer is basically, "Yes!" Due to the popularity of the Technics 1200s, it is far and wide the most popular turntables for almost every kind of DJ or nightclub. Therefore, it makes sense to learn on them as that is what one will most likely be using when one DJs in public.
The newer SL1200M3D model is almost identical to the MK2 model that cemented the popularity of the Technics turntables. The newer M3D model has no indent on the pitch control (it was cited as an annoyance by critical DJs) and instead has a quartz-lock button that locks the pitch to 33rpm or 45rpm depending on which button is selected. Also, the plastic cover no longer is hinged to the deck. Otherwise it is identical to the earlier MK2 model.
Finally, it is good to note that the Tech 12s hold their value very well if taken care of. Few retailers ever sell these turntables below cost so one can often retain well over 80-90% of the purchase price even after a few years.
The best FAQ for the Technics SL-1200Mk2 (older version, similar functionality) is available at http://www.hyperreal.org/music/dj/sl1200.html
A pdf of the service manual is available at
http://www.backspin.org/sl1200mk2.pdf
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gkanai
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Member: Gen Kanai
Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 10 members
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