Category: Vinyl

Yeah, I've owned one…several, actually…over the years. They seem to come and go from my life and I never really understand why. They're good, solid tables—they contain the same components as the venerable 1200Mk2 series—and Technics finally addressed the arm cueing issues of the previous Mk2 automatic and semi-automatics with this design.

I've been doing this so long I remember the Receiver Wars of the 1970s!

I admit I still have a soft spot in my heart for the much less advanced SL-1600. After lusting over my high school buddy's SL-1300 for years, I finally scraped up enough money to buy my own—only to be greeted by the news it was no longer available and had been replaced with the 1600. The 1600 proved to be a much better table than the 1300, so I wasn't disappointed once I started using it.

I gave it to my sister when I got a 1300Mk2 a few years later.

After I'd ditched all my vinyl—and turntable—in the late 80s, when I decided to get back into it in the mid 90s, I returned to a 1600 because the 1300Mk2 was initially unobtainium to me. (There was no eBay; I bought it at a used stero equipment store in Berkeley and the 1600 was the best Technics deck they had available.)

And by "new," I mean obviously lovingly and gently used.

It's no secret among my friends who are into audio that the Technics SL-1300Mk2 turntable has been my go-to deck since I bought my first one new back in 1978. It has its design flaws that I've discussed previously, but it was the one inanimate thing—along with the rest of the stereo (I am a child of the 70s after all) that I wanted out of the house immediately after the fire.

That is not to say I've only had eyes for the 1300Mk2. Back around 2005 I started thinking maybe it was time to retire the old girl and get something new, and to that end I investigated the legendary 1200Mk2. While I was sorely tempted and actually had the funds at the time (they were still quite reasonably priced at about $500), I just couldn't tear myself away from the digital readouts and—lets face it—the nostalgia that accompanied the 1300Mk2.

That's not to say I took my eye off the 1200Mk2s completely. When Technics discontinued the line in 2010, my heart sank a little, as I knew the opportunity to buy a new Technics direct drive turntable had passed me by. Yeah, there was always the used market on eBay, but as the years passed and the demand went up, the price for used units went up and the condition of the tables that were for sale took a nosedive. And yes, there were a few "new in box" units available, but the prices were up in the stratosphere.

But even fifteen years on, I still peruse the auctions, saddened that 98% of the units for sale look like they'd been ridden hard and put away wet. My friend John—who used to repair these turntables for a living—warned me not to buy any 1200s that had lived their lives in use as DJ equipment.

In the interim of course, Technics reintroduced their venerable 1200 series with new models containing updated technology, but at prices way more than I was willing to pay. (To be honest, I probably would've gotten a Mk7 if it had been available in silver; sadly it was not.)

So that's why when an ad appeared on eBay early last week offering a two-owner-home-use-only 1200Mk2 for sale at a very reasonable price, I jumped on it. There weren't that many people watching the auction, but I still brought my sniping skills to bear in the final seconds of the auction and walked away a very happy man.

The deck arrived today and I'm ecstatic. Except for the dust cover that has some scuffs, it looks—and works—like it was brand new.

Marie Kondo might ask, "Does it bring me joy?" I can say unequivocally that yes Marie, I does bring me joy. And after the last three months—hell, the last year—I think that's something I could use.

And that's a great jazz album, too!