​@@defcreator187 Yes, after DJ's picked up on them. As I said, this is a huge misconception people have about this iconic turntable.

@@defcreator187 Pascal is right

@@defcreator187 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_SL-1200

@@defcreator187 I think the broadcast turntables used at radio stations more often were the 1200's cousins, the SP-15 and SP-25. I have one of each and they are tanks. I also spin an SL-1500 MKII, another DD similar to the 1200. I bought the 1500 at a thrift for @25.00. It had no cart and a few cosmetic issues, but other than that it was a solid deck. At home I did a thorough inspection and cleaning and put it in my office next to the SPs.

The 1200 mkii was developed to build on the unintended application of the mki in pro DJ use. The mki is in many ways a scaled down sl1100 which itself derived from the original sp10 - same motor on all 3 I think. The mkii is a brilliant piece of work and the features such as instant start/stop, pitch slider, cuing light and exceptional damping are clear indicators of it’s pro design pedigree. It can make a great hifi deck, but may need careful cartridge choice given the arm is designed for low compliance heavy trackers for club use. Technics also supplied tables without a fitted tonearm as denoted by the lack of the last zero in the model no - ie sl110/1100. There was indeed an sl120 mkii which could be construed as a hifi deck when paired up with an SME arm or similar. These must be rare as I’ve never seen one.

You absolutely can go wrong. They almost all have been (ab)used by many DJ's, who typically didn't treat them as delicate HiFi equipment, and did things like max out the Tonearm angle, applied huge weight to the tonearms etc. Many tonearms on decks in the used market have taken a nasty hit at some point either from being in a house party / club environment, or simply just the sheer amount of transport these things see when they belong to a DJ. This is a big deal, because the bearings in the Tonearm gimble in the 1200 & 1210 MK2 are EXTREMELY fragile, and the market is flooded with damaged 1200 & 1210's... To the point it seems it is actually rarer to find one that ISN'T damaged. DJ's would never notice this, as they slap so much weight on the stylus, the thing digs itself into the record so hard, and they still sell them as fully working perfect condition decks. Unfortunately, if you are trying to carefully listen to a record on a HiFi setup and use a relatively light tracking force, those broken gimble bearings are a complete nightmare. They are a very expensive and tricky fix, and even buying another used tonearm on ebay, there's a high chance THAT tonearm also has damaged bearings (speaking from personal experience on that). People should be very careful when buying a used 1200 or 1210 for HiFi use. Never buy one online without a written guarantee from the seller that the tonearm is balanced/stable and doesn't move by itself when the anti-skate is set to zero.

@@DaGleese I bought a used 1200 mkII around 15 years ago and the tonearm bearings were badly damaged. It didn't even occur to me it could be a thing. There was very definite play (even forwards to backwards) and it could end up adding a clunking sound on warped records. Very kindly somebody who experimented with using an expensive tonearm gave me the one that originally came with their turntable as an new replacement. I now have a frankendeck as it was from a 1210 but it was at my hand. I also get some odd shaking from the cart I use on some high frequency bursts but otherwise I'm very happy with it as a home turntable.

@@GenerallyGroovy good to hear you got there. I also wound up with buying a "perfect original mkii" but ended uo buying 3 replacement tonearms, with one final complete tonearm assembly (the entire black base, gimble, and tonearm assembly) before I got my table working properly. I wish there was more info around about this before I bought my deck. Everything was all just "old technics is rock SOLID, especially 1200/1210 mkii!!!" wish I'd seen a heads up about the highly likely potential nightmare costs involved in getting this turntable working before I the tons of cash at a "working" deck. If it looks anything like it belonged to a, dj and they say its "perfect working order" RUN!!!

You are definately cooler than everybody else.

@@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez You too!!

That is a dope turntable it play 78 too I'm looking for one oh do a trade 👍😎 original technics 1200

why, do audiophiles today only work with average quality turntables,what about the top models from technics like the SP´s or SL-1000 ,SL-1000mkII and SL-1100, regards

the mk4 and the LTD's in good shape in the US are unicorns

I have the little brother 1200 GR.

i think i´ll not buy that ,throw your SL-1200 from a balcony ,the G model , like a second floor than go and get it and than tell me how it works i made that already very drunk and high and when in the next day i went to the balcony after having a cofee mug i went outside to catch fresh air and saw a turntable in the midle of the street , i was not remenbering well the night before but i went to get it and either than having the cover broke everything else was perfect so i already saw the G but it´s not as well built as the 79 mkII, as everything else in this world

@@RUfromthe40s I used to own a pair of MK2's. Had an M5G and MK4 later on. MK4 was by far the best in the original 1200 lineup IMO. But in my comparisons the 1200G was better with quite a margin. Used, tested and opened all of them. I currently have an MK7 in my secondary system, which is actually a downgrade from an MK2, in terms of tonearm lift and how solid the plinth is... especially the tonearm lift of the MK7 is very flimsy. Bearing quality is better though.

@udio You must live in Japan ? We didn't get a Mk4 here in the UK. I have owned every model in the SL1200 range, and personally, the best version I thought, was the M3D. Better than the Mk5 for me, and I traded them for a brand new pair of Mk5, regretted it ever since.

@@DjNikGnashersNah I imported an MK4 and swapped out the transformer with a multi-voltage one; it was basically a drop-in replacement. I'm from the Netherlands btw.

Very cool. Welcome back to the world of vinyl.

I would think, just for conversation sake, that electrification , or developing flat recordings for easier storage , might also be significant developments.

Stand a well tempered Amadeus next to it and you might change yourmind

You know, it's so funny... I almost always say Tech-neeks... then when I recorded this video I blurted out Tech-niks. LOL. I have no idea why. glad you dig VSS!

Pioneer 1000 is a good turntable too not the wheel of steel but is close to it just simple a good torn arm for DJ scratch I got it too but to listen to my collection I tried them by scratching n they are great but for now I'm using it to listen to my collection I have 4 pair of technics silver since 89 working like a champ I throw a lot of party n is a champ 👍😎

i use the nagaoka MP-300 but recentelly i tried the Grado gold prestige III and it reproduces with great sound quality the records ,i even dare to say that being cheaper they may sound better than the Ortofon Black this in technics turntables wich i own several from the 70´s and also some pioneers and three thorens ,that they sound perfect and i tried several more modern turntables from several brands since early 90´s and i didn´t found one that could be better to the point of buying them because they sounded better than the ones i already own, regards

Great turntable, great deal!

@@Channel33RPM indeed and thanks. I use an Ortofon blue, and a Grado mono cartridge.

I've got the SL-1200 MK3D also. Bought it used from Japan back in 2019 for around $500 usd and it works terrific. They only prob I have is the dustcover isn't attached. I just prefer it that way. I've read that it's quite a job to be able to attach it though and I'm not a mechanic in any sense of the word. But oh well, I feel blessed to have this TT at all with the original dust cover. It's a tank!

very helpful comment, now I will look to get a 1900 much prefer automatic

Mr. brian stewart see, there are home turntables in Technics

One of the biggest differences between the 1200 and the 1900, setting aside the fact that the 1900 is a fully automatic with repeat functions and disc size selection, is that the SL-1200 turntable motor from MK2 and onwards is quartz locked while that of the SL-1900 is FG servo, though of a higher quality design compared to other frequency generated servo systems. The turntable motor of the 1900 has adequate torque, but it doesn't have near as much as the 1200. But, to be fair, the 1900 doesn't need that much torque. The turntable of the 1900 still spins smooth and steady; just make sure the speed selector switch and the pitch control potentiometers are clean; those are common points of malfunction with the 1900. The plinth on the 1900 is also not near as solid as the 1200, being made of composite rather than aluminum. There is also not as much dampening of the plinth on the 1900 as there is on the 1200. The 1900 omits the tonearm height adjustment that the 1200 has. The 1200 was supposed to be a midrange-to-high end product while the 1900 was an entry level offering. The 1900 is simply not built to the same standard of quality. That said, the 1900 is still a very capable performer and holds it own very well against equally featured turntables from Pioneer and Sony. And, as usual with many Technics turntables, the 1900 is very reliable. With regard to reliability, I'd take a 1900 over most Sansui tables any day.

​@@Watcher3223What do you think about the fully Automatic SL1600 and 1650 changer ?? I like the 1200 but I'm looking for a automatic Direct drive.

@@kingofuseddurablecars.ls6040 I would say that a Technics direct drive tends to almost always be a safe choice when in good condition. Of course, things to look out for would be the potentiometers on the pitch controls. Dirty contacts can cause problems.

Some people like to spend their money on expensive things. I hope they enjoy their $$$ tables.

by and large every newly made turntable is shit. The Pro-Ject ones? Shit. Especially if you hold them accountable to their claims. They literally claim some kind of audio nirvana, which is objectively comparable to the performance of technics' entry level turntables. At a huge cost! Making a bad turntable just wasn't an option for Technics back in the days, entry level or top end production; bad turntables wouldn't sell in a world where good turntables are cheap.

I read about taking that medical rubber tubing (the type they put around your arm when taking blood) and cutting it up the middle long ways and putting it around the tone arm tube to dampen it.

Jealous - that's a great tt!

The RT85 is a fine turntable.

Awesome - thanks man, and congrats on the 1200!

@@Channel33RPM you are welcome bud. Take care.

If you can't lower the tonearm enough, another way to fix that is to use a thicker mat. I've got an SL-1210M5G with a 5 mm (3/16") thick Sorbothane mat, and had to raise the tonearm a bit to get the right VTA. That is a really helpful feature. After some experimenting with the tonearm height, I found that just a bit above precisely horizontal improves treble level and clarity. Have you had time to do any experimenting, or are you keeping your tonearm exactly horizontal? These are great turntables! As for colour and market, my SL-1210M5G is that great glossy black with silver speckles. It is a Canadian market model, since I bought it from a shop in Calgary, and I'm pretty sure it's not grey market. Since I got it in September 2010, I had to do some searching, because they were going out of production right then, and all the low-priced ones were gone. That meant I had to pay over $1200 for it, and it totalled $1450 Cdn by the time it got to me on Vancouver Island. I don't regret a penny. Twelve years later, it still looks and sounds like new. Unlike to you, to me the look of the SLs doesn't seem to match the price, so I wanted to upgrade its looks. The solution was a walnut base from KAB USA. It gives the deck a classy look, and to my surprise, it improves the sound slightly! Maybe it's because the wooden base surrounds the turntable so that loud music is kept away from the bottom of the turntable, making faint background noise even fainter. That's a guess, but there definitely is an improvement in the sound. Okay, last thing. I had an old SL-1400 Mk 2, which was my first Technics deck. It was much better than the old BIC belt-drive turntable I'd been using, and it was good-looking, with its rosewood insert on the front fascia. However, there was a ticking noise when the platter was spinning and the controls were getting sticky. It seemed like a great last chance occasion to get the M5G while they were still available. Of course, the new M5G came without a cartridge, so I took the cartridge and black headshell from the SL-1400, plus the thick Sorbothane Platter Matter mat, and put them on the new M5G. Now, EVERYTHING that touched the records was from the old turntable, so I didn't expect to hear any difference. Wrong! The difference was immediately obvious, from more solid bass to improved midrange clarity. How? The heavier platter and stronger motor made the bass more lifelike, with a more solid attack on the leading edge of each bass note. As for the improved treble, I can only surmise that this was due to the upgraded tonearm wires in the M5G. Later, I had the titanium-look M5G headshell fitted with the Shure M97xE cart from the SL-1400 and installed it on the M5G, so the changeover was complete. The SL-1210M5G is definitely a better-sounding turntable, despite seeming to be very similar electrically and mechanically to the older (1978?) turntable. It seems obvious time and technology march on, with incremental improvements really adding up over time. The Technics engineers keep finding and making improvements. If a new G or GR model is out of reach for you at the present time, a low mileage M5G might be everything you're looking for, for either the short term or the long term.

I also went for the Jelco (750D) on one of my Mk5g. What I did is went 'organic'. I splashed out for an ebony armboard, an ebony headshell, two cartridges with hardwood bodies, and an ebony stabiliser! They make musical instruments from the stuff. I also liked that the S shaped Jelco kept with the aesthetic. Also the 'Shuggie Collar' from Ammonite Audio assisted with VTA adjustment. Quite a bit of dosh, but I don't regret it. I see you are a fan of KABUSA. Have you tried their thrustpad?

all turntables sound better on 70´s amplifiers or pre-amplifiers ,i do have modern amplifiers but the turntables i own are all conected to 70´s amp.´s

May I ask how much you paid for it? I’m looking to get one in similar condition

@@1SonOfMoon1 Just the turntable, packed properly in a Technics box with the new dust cover, was around $700 without a cartridge with shipping. You can check the prices for the Ortofon 2M Blue mounted in its own branded head shell. That was extra. You can find cheaper setups but I’ve not seen an old school SL 1200 in this good shape. It was virtually new with not a single blemish. I think the seller said it was used for a very short time and then put back in the box! Good luck finding one that hasn’t been beaten up! I realize at that price we are getting competitive with the high end but this is high end, especially if you can find a clean one where the seller doesn’t know what they have! My seller knew full well what she had!

The 1200G looks pretty sweet! I will definitely try a Black one of these days.

@@Channel33RPM have you ever seen this video? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fNOfZc6emsrJYXk.html

Those hard-wired RCA cables are a pain to replace, but it's not the end of the world. If the turntables are in good shape and you like them a lot, it's certainly worth replacing the cables with something newer and better, and maybe getting RCA sockets installed for next time, in a decade or two. You can even find KZfaq videos on how to replace them yourself.

regular oiling is part of simple regular maintenance. Just cars! Run them past maintenance and you're bound to break it. :p

the SL-1200 needing oil every couple of years ,are you a dj ,it´s a already oiled (more paste than oil )rotation system i only putted grease on it after maybe 15 years of being used and still had lubrification, just had to check it because of the many hours of work .I also don´t know how the modern versions are normally , the quality of built decreased since 1980, mine is a 79 ,at home i use more the SL-1000MKII and sold my two SL-1200MKII for 500€ with new concord needles ,in 2007 no one wanted them to home use ,only several years after i heard that was being used as a home turntable and some here on youtube ,maybe thinking that all persons are equal in the world saying that was never created like a professional turntable but a audiophile turntable , those(audiophiles) used to say that the SL-1200 or any version of it was a bad turntable, but there is a thing called internet where there is lot´s of information available or technics catalogs to download from the 70´s , but this guy wouldn´t know it and was starting a new world order with is ridiculous opinion, today even worse with needles having a1/4 or a 1/5 of the hours of use compared with the ones sold till late 90´s, normally one plays music and relaxes if one falls a sleep lot´s of hours lost with a modern needle, i call myself a audio enthusiast because audiophile today is a lightelly used word, even people that don´t have notion of what hi-fi is call themselves audiophiles just because they were borned rich and buy the most expensive components not knowing if it would sound aceptable together