Earlier this week the Japanese turntable manufacturer, Panasonic, issued a statement to the Tokyo Reporter officially stating they will be discontinuing the Technics 1200mk6 turntable. After years of speculation that it would be going the way of the dodo, the economic hammer finally dropped and ended a solid 30 year run. Even though this site is decidedly controller focused, there is no question that the original dj controller was fantastic tool and will be well missed by all.
The following statement was issued from Panasonic headquarters to the Tokyo Reporter:
“Panasonic decided to end production mainly due to a decline in demand for these analog products and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analog components necessary to sustain production,”
the article also mentions:
Regarding the Technics brand itself, nothing has been decided other than the discontinuation of the mentioned products
This probably means that they will continue to produce the CDJ style equivalent called the SLDZ1200 Digital Turntable. However the SL -1200 MK6m which replaced the mk2 in 2007, is the only analogue turntable listed on Panasonic’s product listing page, and it is most certainly discontinued (see image bellow).
The defacto dj tool for decades, this turntable holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many djs. Most turntable based jockeys refuse to play on anything else and its easy to understand why. They are rock solid reliable, easy to use and built to withstand the brutal beating they receive night in, night out. In 1996, I pawned 3 guitars to purchase my first pair of 1200’s and after years of gigs, several cross country trips, and countless falls they are still spinning in the TechTools office today.
THE THIRD ELEMENT
Besides their fantastic construction, there was one important element in the this turntable that separated it from the rest and enabled a entire new field of music: “turntablism”
That feature is the coveted direct drive system, which uses magnets to propel the platter in a rapid way that belts never could. This “third element”: magnets, is a force expertly leveraged by turntablists to enable them to do things with a linear peice of audio that the bare hands alone could not achieve. Its also an effect that controllers have yet to really duplicate well.
A GREAT INSTRUMENT
Turntablists like Q-bert above, have shown that the simple turntable combined with a mixer can be a remarkably expressive instrument. When used with great dexterity and extensive practice it can produce the full range of musical expression including attack, decay, amplitude and tone- all from a single sample!
THE END?
The good news is that with so many of these turntables in circulation (3.5 million sold since 1976), and their robust build quality- there will always be turntables available for those that want them. Controllers will continue to get better and hopefully, someday, reach the level of quality required to replace such a historic instrument with features and performance that live up to tough demands of djs, controllerists, and turntablists alike!
Lmao@ all you scrubs whining about a turntable because your ability to pick quality music and keep a crowd dancing is non existent so the only way you can claim to be a Dj is because you own a set of turntables.
They are 30 years old, stop using the 12’s as a crutch for your inept skills as a true Dj and concentrate on packing the dancefloor with quality music rather then boosting your ego with a set of 12’s.
All you “old school” dj’s are comete garbage. Retire with your 12’s.
Said the lame ass who can’t spell. Keep using your laptop worthless. Save the “real djing” to the pros. A true dj entertains not just play records, cds, mp3s, or whatever format you use. Go back and learn the real because you obviously are not a real dj.
In shock right now!
i got into this on EDM, and would be using a controller right now…but then i went to Scratch NYC, just to learn some basics. the first day Grand Wizard Theodore was there. I’m young in all this and like i said EDM was what hooked me, so I no idea who he was…until he told us a bit of the history of the scratch and spun a ten minute or so set. I’d never seen someone loop vinyl, much less needle drop, and he was cutting it down to eighth notes, spot on needle cues, not 2 feet in front of me.
Needless to say i now own a pair of (well-used) techs and TSD, but still practice on the bit of vinyl i have (not half as much as I’d like, nor do i practice enough. college sucks). long live vinyl, knowing your shit backwards and forwards
like a good hit and good wax it would be hard to phase out but will be missed
like a good hit and good wax it would be hard to phase out but will be missed
Please do not discontinue mk’s! the real feeling and atractive of djing are vinyl turntables, who came with the absurd idea of controllers and digital crap??! automated sync? what’s the point of that.. make it easier?! if i were not living in this third world country, i would definitly purchase a couple of 1200 mk2’s and i’d only buy vinyl records, instead of digital unreal souless files.
I can’t help but feel that they will come back at some stage 8)
I will NEVER stop using vinyl only (and mpc)
CD or MP3 DJ’s
we can do what you do.
you could never do what we do.
signed,
Every 1200 respecting DJ.
The phasing out of vinyl with the introduction of Serato was bad enough, but now I think I want to kill myself.
-DJ Olga T
guys, this is not the end!
there are (as mentioned) a lot of other reliable tt-brands out there!
noone needs exactly technics to play records….. think about it!
The other turntables suck!!!!!!!!!!!
see you soon brah! 🙂
[quote comment=”39405″][quote comment=”39379″]
why wont the big dj’s participate on this blog ? i mean , what does Tiesto,Armin or Paul van dyke have to say about this article and about the new S4 controller thats due soon ??? are they to famous to share their opinions ???
just a thought…
thanks alot DJTT for this article…[/quote]I don’t care, I play CDs anyway and as long as they pay me 60000 a gig……..[/quote]
man wtf? are you serious panasonic! we the turntablist need these decks not just for us but for our kids and our kids kids and so on. these wheels of steel are so damn complex and one of a kind that no matter how fukn digital the music scene gets im gonna still represent VINYL and my TECHNICS theres nothing better than the feeling of wax on those slip mats ready to get played with all these new so called djs are so fkn fake that if u put them up to a battle with wax and no auto sync or bpm they would all suck! thank you serato and traktor and those stupid cdjs and that digi shit. real turntablist for eva peace and love to “rockit” first exposure to all this scratchins making me itch and dj q bert for keeping this art form alive till today and showing the rookies real roots.
[quote comment=”39392″]In the last 20 years I have spent more time working with these than I have spent time with my friends or family.
Seems this is official from Panasonic. Sad, but better to remember what a postive effect these have had on our scene over the years than mope & moan.
Digital moves us on, controllerism takes us forward.
The King is dead. Long live the the King.[/quote]
That was beautiful, man.
I wanna get rid or mine with poinier mixer ….. 1500.00 or best offer in new jersey will ship after money is receved
AJ I hope you dont suppose electronics and chip production is a “green industry” maybe you’d be better with a djembe and didgeridoo?
At last…..its about time the music industry took responsibility for all the damage it has done to the planet over the years by churning out vinyl like there’s no tomorrow. Glad to see technics have acted on this and done the right thing.. Now we just need NI to launch a “green” controller made out of recycled turntables and vinyl.
Anyone found in posession of these evil polution creating monsters and countless thousands of 12 inch records should be punished by being forced to listen to David Guetta mix cd’s for the rest of there life!!!!
“Save the planet go digital”
The harvesting of the precious metals for technology is raping the Earth, google it for yourself. Digi is not green tech!
really sad day in the DJ world. When i started out some years back, my mentor said that if he ever catches me with anything else, he will cut my fingers off.
Still rocking mine like it aint no thang.!
for those who still have them. They are now worth triple!
Salute to Technics for which remarkable, outstanding, excellent is mere words that doesnt come close!
Is this just a rumour or is it true??
*said
^^^name explains it….x2 what bong jovi…great post
Yo mr platinum,
so you’ve dj’d for 30 yrs. Good on you, we’re all so proud. Now I wanna know, are you still using the same technology today as 30 yrs ago or have you always been a skeptic. For instance, do you use a mixer with a cross fader?? Or is that not the original style of mixer so you won’t have it. Technology has always been along side the dj industry so we should embrace these changes, not fear them.
To say you’re not a dj unless you use 1200s is a bullshit statement. You’re not a dj unless you actually rock a crowd and know how to mix, whether it be Vinyl, cd, controllers, cassette tapes or whatever!!
Everyone freaked out when Bob Dylan went electric, well this is the DJ industry changing which might be scary for you, but exciting for many people like me.
So Mr Golden, keep up the good work pushing the boundaries and informing the masses.
Most of us respect you.
Bong Jovi
If you mean “rocking a crowd” by catering to the crowd by playing electro, trance, or dubstep, than you fuckin’ lost me! Now, even though I choose to spin vinyl, I respect DJs that use other mediums to mix, but this whole arrogant and pretentious showboating bullshit has got to stop. I see more DJs clapping their fucking hands and stage-diving rather than doing what they get paid to do. It’s almost as if the modern DJ has become a popstar, rather than the abstract and non-conventional vessel. I miss the days when the DJ was hidden behind their speaker stacks, and the music and the mix was the only thing that mattered. David Guetta, Laidback Luke, and all these limelighters can have their expansive venues with shimmery lights and pop-fused dance music (that they mistakenly refer to as “House” music) I’ll take the darkened and underground clubs any day. There are two types of DJs: artists (that choose the cuts that appeal to them, presenting therm with his/her own style) and entertainers (take requests, play the top 40 dance hits, play the popular genres, and get the fame and fortune while doing it). The same goes for all music genres
Nice try Ean, we all know you fail when it comes to Djing mate, which is why you have to use these little ‘Gadgets’ instead of the real deal. If you young people (I’m 49..30yrs dj) believe this shit, then more fool you. To suggest the medium is finished is wholly premature. Decks ARE and always will be COOL.
The 1200s are like the most known most iconic turntables right? Me and all my friends buy and only really ever consider buying technics. So if such a strong well know brand of turntables as this is getting discontinued wouldn’t allot of the other turntables be as well.
Farewell my friends, you have filled my dj experience with many joyful club nights and parties. I have 2 coveted pair in good shape and my first is still going strong since 87.
Not this again…….
If they did stop making them, then Panasonic must not think it is important enough to actually announce it themselves yet…… http://www.panasonic.net – nothing on their site over a week after the rumours started – for the second time this year I might add…….To me it’s very strange that something like this would be leaked to one paper – which is the only source being referred to, without any official announcement from them.
Perhaps it is coming, I doubt it, but until then, it’s just a rumour started by one press article, and nothing official to back it up.
The picture linked to in that article looks completely fake, the specs of the deck make absolutely no sense at all, complete gibberish – according to the uk site the 1210 and 1200 mk2 are both still being made – there are links to dealers – and that article states the mk2 was replaced by the mk6 in 2007. Which is untrue. I’m pretty sure the 1210mk2s you can buy new at music store weren’t made 3 years ago…..
I really think a blog like this should at least be responsible enough to check the facts with the manufacturer before adding to the rumours going round……
But I guess with a vested interest in the digital market, it’s not a bad thing for you
Honestly for as good as digital is, it is not the same as the old! I grew up around Technics, more than just the 1200. I was fortunate enough to hear CD vs. vinyl all the time (on Technics HiFi), and as good as the new is there is still something about the old that draws people in. Honestly for as many people say that it’s the end of vinyl it isn’t. Hopefully someone else will pick the brand up and return it to glory where it should be.
We’ve spent some time thinking about all the weird and wonderful ways this news is going to change club culture…
Maybe they’ll make a comeback like the Camero 😀
turntables is like pontiac … this year ended
I think they actually stopped production back in February of 2010, the factory closed. I bought 2 new mk5’s this year because they were getting scarce. I bought these to have for my children. I have loads of vinyl but these are really controllers for Traktor when I need to have a vinyl fix :-).
The S4 is here and when timecode comes to S4 things will get even more interesting. I have never been one to shy away from new technology, but I never forgot where I came from.
The bottom line is probably ‘the bottom line’ … basically, they probably just aren’t making much money from the Technics brand anymore and Panasonic has probably decided to put their company resources elsewhere … of course they wouldn’t say ‘it’s just not profitable anymore’ but the writing is on the wall… how many people actually buy brand new technics turntables anymore? I live in Japan and have some friends in the music industry (yamaha, Roland) … from what they have heard, the whole ‘Technics’ brand is being discontinued. I’m sure it will all come out in an official announcment soon…
There will be no R.I.P since the Analog entity will never die..
I cannot wait for a big solar flair to encompass the earth and destroy the lazy D.J’s soul-less hard drives and laptops. Then it will be back to hooking up tube amps and turntables to street lights, then who’s gonna be rocken the blocks??
yep its true, we got the offical letter about the discontinuation of ALL technics analogue turntables yesterday, see link for the letter. http://www.studio-lights.com/blog/technics-discontinued-1200-turntable.htm
“also the growing difficulty of procuring key analog components necessary to sustain production”
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/26538/?p1=A2
this political issue could be what is pushing the slow killing off of the techs.
Who cares-You are all little gayboy knob pushing faggots anyhow.
http://motherboard.tv/2010/10/29/once-again-panasonic-is-not-killing-off-technics-turntables–2
Is there real proof that it’s all the 1200s and 1210s?
Or just the MK6?
I remember reading another blog that just the MK6 was being discontinued.
I dunno…if they have to discontinue and see that sales are low, then that’s life. I have my MK2s and they’re still in great condition, but time marches on. Either things get more Midi, or someone else (Stanton) will take up the crown.
It’ll be a while before one will never see 1200s anywhere, but even then I think when the 1200 fully vanishes from the world is the day vinyl truly dies as a medium for DJs.
Mmm. I’ve got one collecting dust on my shelf – a black beat up one that a roommate who couldn’t pay rent left for me.
Makes me want to try to hunt down one more before they get really rare.
…
Wikipedia and djtechtools are reliable source of info.
Don’t talk shit about them or Chuck will gona kill you!
…
since when has wikipedia ever been a reliable source of info?
Wikipedia claims that the mk6 only was discontinued and that the mk2 and mk5 are still listed as being available on panasonics website.
???????? MK2 is the original beast!!!!!
2010 is an anagram for 1200. it all makes sense now 😛
Death to virtual dj even in the Caribbean but the product is perfect so it will last another 30 years thanks for the run and all who owned one be proud we are now a part of his-story better yet if you own vinyl all 3.5 million plus Ps Mr. Panasonic innovate a way to bypass the defect and keep the dream not just for us dj but those to come
Death to virtual dj even in the Caribbean but the product is perfect so it will last another 30 years thanks for the run and all who owned one be proud we are now a part of his-story better yet if you own vinyl all 3.5 million plus Ps Mr. Panasonic innovate a way to bypass the defect and keep the dream not just for us dj but those to come
…for those saying only mk6’s are being discontinued and the other generations are still being made – whilst stock of MK2’s MK5’s MK5G’s etc may be available to buy, they haven’t been made since 2007 (in the case of MK2’s anyway). Just because you buy shit in a shop today, doesn’t mean it rolled out of the factory last week!
Also, the expense of neodymium is a shit excuse because the SL-DZ1200 uses the same motor as 1200s.
=[
Like others have said there is not one official panasonic press release floating around. Even if they do discontinue one model from the line it does not mean they are discontinuing the whole line. MK5Gs are pretty much the flagship model and I haven’t seen anything that leads me to believe those are being discontinued. Digital may be the way of the future but there is still a place for vinyl not because of it’s specs but because owning and putting on a record is such a visceral and comforting act. People who have never used vinyl before do not understand why DJ’s enjoy records. They are a beautiful medium which speak to us in a way that is tangible on multiple levels.
Whilst it’s a shame if this reincarnation of the age-old ‘Technics are no more’ story is true, it’s hardly the death of the analog DJ. As others have said, Numark and Stanton have been making top quality turntables for a little while also. Personally speaking, I’m a fan of my TT500’s – I actually prefer them to 1200’s.
shit
[quote comment=”39381″]Like COOLOUT said, the article states only the MK6 is being discontinued. There are still other models that will continue to be made. When is the last time you saw an MK6 anywhere? All I ever see are MKII’s and MD/G5’s. And by the way the only difference between a 1200 and a 1210 is the color of the top. The 1210’s are black instead of gun metal(?) or whatever color you want to call the grey of the 1200’s.[/quote]
MK6’s were for sale in Japan only. I have two of em and they had some cool (albeit minor) improvements…
“If you never used one, you really are not a DJ.”
What an elitist load of crap. Do you even know who Francis Grasso was? (I’m sure you’ll Google him and claim you do.)
dumbest article youve ever written, stick to “controllerism” typo’d too
First! Damn, I mean 46th.
I knew it was coming. The price on the units are too high now. brand new 6/700 dollars when they used to be 4/5 hundred
As said before there are millions of them and thousands on ebay. I have allways bought mine second hand to save money. Im sure many others have done the same I paid £300 for a pair of 1200 and cost me £320 for 1210’s yes I know they are the same just wanted both colors. By stopping the production of them after a couple of years this will drive up second hand prices. Panasonic can still make them so maybe in 5 years when demand goes up they will put out another run of them. Technics biggest downfall with there design is that they built them to survive a nuclear attack. How long does a Pioneer cdj last. Im not saying there not well built but id like to know many cdj mark 1’s are left. They only went out of production 7 years ago.
My question is will the pioneer CDJ die before the technics turntable?
I think the turntable
Give me a break. I’ve read plenty of comments about how sad people are that Technics is no more. It is as if we can’t buy turntables anymore. Technics are great turntables and their history is legendary, but the bar has been raised again and again by the competitors.
For the price of 2 technics SL-1210MK5G’s, I can get 2 stanton st-150’s which are far superior in every aspect, AND! ~ $600 to wipe my ass with!
Maybe that’s why they are going out of business. If they are.
If you never used one, you really are not a DJ. Would like to see some progression though, something Pioneer has not been able to do unless you like being a Techno DJ.
Would take a digital version of this anyday. Bottom line, there will always be a set of dj’s with talent that will drive the demand of the next great product.
…
Dear Ean,
this kind of post are “popular” because it claims our “soulwax” but…
why not talk us about news form NI and the Big deal about their products?
What are/you coocking?
😉
…
I have never spun a record in my 8 years of djing (been digital from day one), but this deeply saddens me all the same. For some odd reason I feel compelled to acquire at least one 1200 if for no other reason to help me remember where what I love so much came from.
crazy man crazy i went in to rub a dub the other day looking for new controllers and all the records were gone
well not all of them but in glasgow it was hard to get records now its even harder
long live the vci 100 lol
‘the economic hammer finally dropped’ Did you mean electronic instead of economic 😉
@Dj PC3, buy a set of Akiyama Acura’s (or similar), best choice if you don’t buy Technics. In my opinion even beter then Technics.
what about Traktor Scratch PRO?
I personally never owned any, but every club I have ever played has had them and I always use those over CDJs (when available)… funny thing is I decided I was gonna pick up a pair once the S4 accepted TSP time code.. guess It’ll have to be another brand or used ones…
Man it was just a matter of time. I guess you can compare the Technic deck to a sweet ass old car. Even if it had stopped being built in 1991 people who loved the would always find a way to keep them up and running. I have 7 of them and will always have them around to spin with because they are awesome!! I have had every other deck out there but none compare to the feel of a Technic even if it falls on the ground or gets dragged across a busy street in Hollywood in a sorry attempt to steal my entire coffin after a gig resulting in a mild beating from a cab they still work. They will always be around.
[quote comment=”39405″][quote comment=”39379″]
why wont the big dj’s participate on this blog ? i mean , what does Tiesto,Armin or Paul van dyke have to say about this article and about the new S4 controller thats due soon ??? are they to famous to share their opinions ???
just a thought…
thanks alot DJTT for this article…[/quote]I don’t care, I play CDs anyway and as long as they pay me 60000 a gig……..[/quote]
+1 mega lolz
Just because vinyl sales go up, doesn’t mean people are going to buy techs.
[quote comment=”39379″]
why wont the big dj’s participate on this blog ? i mean , what does Tiesto,Armin or Paul van dyke have to say about this article and about the new S4 controller thats due soon ??? are they to famous to share their opinions ???
just a thought…
thanks alot DJTT for this article…[/quote]I don’t care, I play CDs anyway and as long as they pay me 60000 a gig……..
Sad, but long overdue.
So…. I will still use those as long replacement needles for cartridges are available. I will bet than in ten years they will work as good as now and I will see how many controllers I had to replace in that span. No need for updates, firmware just some low engineering knowledge. I love controllers (I have vci-100, Stanton da scratch, xone 4d) but every 2-3 weeks go to the club and using the tables (sometimes with dvs, sometimes strictly wax) and just enjoy quite a lot. I think will happen the same that with urei mixers, get one in this days is about 1000 dollars and work incredible well.
The technics are nearly indestructible and if you see one on the 300 dollar mark, grab it because in 5 years from now they will cost you the double.
Damn. As a 2010 (brand new) DJ it is my wish to get some nice TT’s under these newschool hands… This news hurts me in my heart. These platters were an true revolution in DJ’ing!!
I have 6 x 1210s, 2 working fine and 4 others in various states of repair – cant bring my self to get rid. Perhaps I will make a mural or some kind of art installation with the ones without hope of another life, but I think I will always keep at least 1 working 1210, to pass on to my kids along with 40,000 record. Ive feck all else to leave em.
Except my S4 when it arrives….
the 1210 is dead (well 4 of em are)
long live the Controller.
Few things to comment on here:
1. Same thing happened last year with an Australian store saying the same thing trying to get more sales. No credible source or nothing about the credibility of the person reporting it.
2. Guys who hate on hipsters usually are the ones who were jocks in high school and are now fat ,old, wear khakis, and have nothing interesting about them. They do this hate out of anger because that dorky skinny kid, who didn’t need to play football, is now all the sudden having all the fun instead of being stuck behind a desk wearing business casual wear 5 days a week, desperately waiting so they can get their weekend warrior fist pump on! Quit hating iron your dockers! 🙂
In the last 20 years I have spent more time working with these than I have spent time with my friends or family.
Seems this is official from Panasonic. Sad, but better to remember what a postive effect these have had on our scene over the years than mope & moan.
Digital moves us on, controllerism takes us forward.
The King is dead. Long live the the King.
[quote comment=”39386″][quote comment=”39382″][quote comment=”39367″]There aren’t enough trendy yet ironic hipsters out there to save vinyl.[/quote]
LOL,
I don’t know man, they are like roaches. They scatter when you hit the lights and there are more of them crawling around than one would like to admit.[/quote]
The definition of a hipster is someone who claims to hate hipsters 😉
Anyway, this video of Q-bert “drumming” with one record and a crossfader should speak for itself. RIP Technics.
The way this story has been reported over the last year makes it impossible to tell if it’s true or not. I’ll believe they’ve discontinued the line when I can’t walk into a shop and buy one new off the shelf (which will be about 5 years after they stop making them).
… NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[quote comment=”39382″][quote comment=”39367″]There aren’t enough trendy yet ironic hipsters out there to save vinyl.[/quote]
LOL,
I don’t know man, they are like roaches. They scatter when you hit the lights and there are more of them crawling around than one would like to admit.
Sl-dz1200 style controller to pit against the scs.1d??????
I’m sad in the same way I’m sad they don’t make the 303 anymore. I’d never use either but I recognize their place in history.
Long live controllers, and long live Vestax.
1200’S. It’s the Original wheels of steel. The biggest Deejay names in the industry didn’t get where they are now without a pair!!
[quote comment=”39367″]Remarkable that decline in demand is cited even though vinyl sales have surged in teh last couple of years:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/7398399/Vinyl-records-sales-rising-as-old-fashioned-albums-enjoy-a-renaissance.html
Despite all of the awesome new controllers, I’m sure working the wheels of steel wil not become a lost art.[/quote]
Let’s PLEASE put this oft quoted article into proper perspective.
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/a-big-music-year-for-jackson-boyle-swift-digital-downloads-and-vinyl/
The payoff in this article is at the top in the first chart. Look at total music sales. Now look at digital track sales. Now look at LP/Vinyl sales.
Yeah. Until vinyl sells enough to add 3 more decimal places, it’s pretty much a done deal. There aren’t enough trendy yet ironic hipsters out there to save vinyl.
we do not care if you at the vinyl sales to all the other it is garanteed to double sales for it is bought twice for each user and guys like me sometimes four times and that is for one good song so the payoff is about quality not quantity
Like COOLOUT said, the article states only the MK6 is being discontinued. There are still other models that will continue to be made. When is the last time you saw an MK6 anywhere? All I ever see are MKII’s and MD/G5’s. And by the way the only difference between a 1200 and a 1210 is the color of the top. The 1210’s are black instead of gun metal(?) or whatever color you want to call the grey of the 1200’s.
i am actually very happy to see the end of this and cant wait to see the end of the pioneer cdj-100 serious aswell…
its a shift in technology that the Dj world needs…
IMO , beat matching & playing your own tunes is not much of a ‘live show’…
why wont the big dj’s participate on this blog ? i mean , what does Tiesto,Armin or Paul van dyke have to say about this article and about the new S4 controller thats due soon ??? are they to famous to share their opinions ???
just a thought…
thanks alot DJTT for this article…
Sad news. RIP
@The Reverand
I see what you mean
http://www.metal-pages.com/metalprices/neodymium/
BUT Even Still 🙁
We all know that the digital era is here. Not many people rock CD’s anymore instead opting for the MP3. DVD’s have been replaced by Blu-ray and a much richer digital format in the blu-ray sound quality department as well. Sorry to say Vinyl is really the last analog method to go. I totally see this being true as the market is focused on the digital DJ. I too rock many pieces of vinyl that I will not get rid of. How often do they see the decks, that is another story.
It is sad but like they say “All good things come to an end”
This has been going all around the internet. I think it’s just a marketing ploy to create demand for the other models.
If you read the article carefully it only says that only the MK6 model is being discontinued. What about the MKII, MK5, and MK5Gs? You can still buy all those new at full price almost anywhere.
Even if they shut down the whole Technics division they are still probably enough units in stores’ pipeline to last a lifetime. Not to mention MILLIONS (3.5 mil ?!?!?) used ones floating around the world.
I first used 1200s in 1988 and can remember when they were the hot new thing like midi controllers are considered now.
This may seem strange to the fanboys that have bought into the legend…but I actually prefer Vestax or even the higher-end Numark TT to SL-1200s.
Stronger torque, easier to weight balance, standard RCA jacks and ground screw instead of hardwired cords (that go bad and are harder to fix), plus extra features like adjustable startup/brake and reverse all make a better turntable in my opinion.
RJMG: Do you know what neodymium costs? It isn’t bullshit.
ok, NONE of these blogs that posted this info, including the Tokyo Reporter (is this site even legit?), have any “official” statement from Panasonic that they can prove. Until Panasonic comes out and says that they are stopping the production of Technics 1200/1210s, i am not going to believe it. do any of these “professional” blogs even check their sources?
AFAIK and heard, vinyl sales are on the rise. so this makes no sense.
…
Rumour or contrasted source? Last year by the same month the same “new” was dropped and was “rumour”…
It is a official statement?
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“and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analog components necessary to sustain production”
That is Bull shit !!! Techs are pretty simple inside
Sad days 🙁 I think I will get a memorial Tattoo
Will always have a set in my life!!! But it is 2010 and there are shit loads of other things to mix with
Remarkable that decline in demand is cited even though vinyl sales have surged in teh last couple of years:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/7398399/Vinyl-records-sales-rising-as-old-fashioned-albums-enjoy-a-renaissance.html
Despite all of the awesome new controllers, I’m sure working the wheels of steel wil not become a lost art.
The picture in the article is a Technics 1210…
It’s too bad the 1200’s are being discontinued, but it’s not like they are the only good turntable out there.
I knew this day would come, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. I’ve had my same pair or Technics 1200SL MK2 for 21 years and they are as good as the day I got them. I’m happy I just bought 3 new pieces of VINYL. Gonna take em for a spin!!
Man…I’m gonna miss those guys. Still rocking my 1200mkII’s. Will be tonight at my gig too. R.I.P. Faithful decks. -DJDraco.com
First!