Technics SL1200 GLD Turntable

Gatecrasher

How much do you guys think I should offer a seller for one of these in mint condition?



I see prices all over the place on them.

msg

I understand Technics fever, but man, I gotta ask, why are you after this particular model?

mhardy6647

De gustibus non est disputandum

Isaac Hayes’ gold-trimmed, fur-lined, 1972 Cadillac El Dorado by SXSW14, on Flickr

JuanR

I wonder how much a gold ounce was going for back then, this was a great investment I bet at todays gold prices.....Isaac Hayes made a great investment here..LOL

I love Technics turntables, I own the original 1200 MK1 - as a matter of fact, it is spinning Floyds Wish you were here as I type.....

The Gold Technics fetch in the 1K or above price, depending on condition, etc. etc.

are you looking to keep it or re-sell it?

mhardy6647

Nothing wrong with the SL-1200 family, nothing at all -- but the gold is a wee bit flashy, don't you think?

JuanR

it is a wee bit flashy but I would own this one, the new Grandmaster 1200 has toned it down but it is 4K also and I don't mean 3840x2160 pixels....

http://pitchfork.com/news/69261-new-technics-sl-1200g-turntable-available-now-costs-4000/

mhardy6647

The new 1200 incarnation is quite nice -- but it's also been rather polarizing (in the way that only the SL-1200 can be).

(I wouldn't mind having one either -- but I'd go with the normal chrome finish on the bright bits, given the choice)

Gatecrasher

I'm only asking because I know a guy who has two of them brand-new in open boxes who is looking to sell them.

JuanR

@Gatecrasher

How much does he want? Where is he located? I wouldn't mind one myself, if you don't mind that is...
send me details via PM if possible...

Thanks

Juan

msg

Ah, I see. Yes, I was curious. Interesting situation there.

I agree with much of what's been said above. I do love the SL1200/1210 tts. I would think the gold model would be best suited to a dj, or someone who really likes gold flash. I don't normally say things like this, and so apologize in advance for my unsolicited opinion - while I wouldn't go as far as to say someone needs a smack upside the head for being drawn to these tables, these things are b-ugly and chintzy to me, and I would pass on them if someone tried to give them to me, but that's just because I prefer more subtle presentation.

I think this is one of those things where desire will dictate cost? I'd think that for top dollar on something like a pair of these, you'd be looking for a serious collector or dj. As Juan mentions, for these kinds of prices, the curiosity on the new 4k Technics tables would probably get my attention before a pair of these, but that's just as a listener with a healthy obsession for Technics.

I had a hard time finding a 1200/1210 in pristine condition with oe boxes and packing materials. Gently used, those were going for $700+, and NOS upwards of $1800 - $2500. These are obviously collectible pieces, and if BNIB, possibly fetching $5k+ for the pair to the right person?

I'd be curious to hear what ends up happening with them.

Wikipedia has a pretty nice history on these tables. The SL-1200GLD is apparently based on the SL-1210M5G; this is the Grandmaster, correct? 1200GLD is rare; only 3000 units manufactured, half to the US, the rest internationally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_SL-1200

SL-1210M5G (released on 1 November 2002) has a glossy black finish with silver speckles. It was a special 30th-anniversary edition. It was initially launched in Japan only (together with the MK5) but then became internationally available. It switches between ±8% and ±16% ranges for pitch adjustment, and the pitch control is digital. It also features blue target lights and blue pitch-number illumination. The brake strength potentiometer, although still located beneath platter, can now be adjusted, unlike previous models, using a small plastic knob. Minor improvements over Mk2, Mk3, Mk4, & 1200LTD include improved tonearm mounting and oxygen-free copper wire, improved vibration damping in the body, improvements to pitch control accuracy and better LEDs.

SL-1200GLD (released in 2004), another limited edition model, with only 3,000 units manufactured. 1,500 of them were sold in the U.S. and the other 1,500 internationally. It is based on the MK5G model, with blue (instead of the regular white) target lights, a piano black gloss finish, and gold-plated hardware.

msg

msg wrote:

...while I wouldn't go as far as to say someone needs a smack upside the head for being drawn to these tables...

Juan, you should be smacked upside the head. I bet you wear thick gold chains on the outside of Polo-doused green turtlenecks, don't you? Even in the summer with Joey shorts and sandals.

JuanR wrote: »

How much does he want? Where is he located? I wouldn't mind one myself, if you don't mind that is...
send me details via PM if possible...

voltz

But Juan would look cool driving around in Isaac's Caddy

I remember the scene from "Escape from New York"

msg

Haha, I think that car has one of these tables playing on the dash.
Unfortunately the passenger side chandelier blocks it out in this photo, so you'll just have to trust me.

Gatecrasher

What do you guys think about Pioneer's version?

msg

I like it much better.
I originally shied from it due to negative discussion re: that Hanpin wow and flutter figure, but real world reviews here indicated to me that it's a pretty solid unit. I'd like to try one to compare against a 1200 to see for myself whether I could notice any difference in practical use.

JuanR

This is one of my 4 Technics tables and the current one being used in the main rig, nothing flashy, but does the job and does it well. I bought it because it was the original 1200 and it's collectible. That would be the only reason to purchase the Gold 1200 is because I am a fan of Technics tables and this one is also collectible...yeah its a bit flashy, but when I play music that third of the room is dim anyway...My overall choice would be the new 4K model.

@msg - that was funny, but no that is not part of my attire! I could do the shorts and sandals but not the polo/turtleneck/chains combo! You got to live a little man, you still wearing polyester pants with matching plaid shirts?

msg

haha, tight and tucked man, waistband up over my pot belly! I wear suspenders, too, but just for show.

soundfreak1

mhardy6647 wrote: »

De gustibus non est disputandum

Isaac Hayes’ gold-trimmed, fur-lined, 1972 Cadillac El Dorado by SXSW14, on Flickr

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Gatecrasher

Wow: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-Technics-NEW-SL-1200GLD-24Karat-Gold-Plated-LIMITED-EDITION-/201669092348?hash=item2ef46a23fc:g:a5gAAOSwcl1XPbfq

mhardy6647

Yowza.

msg

you're not kidding about the prices being all over the place.

machone

The PLX1000 wow and flutter specs have been corrected. Pioneer says there was a typo in the original specs..

mhardy6647

machone wrote: »

The PLX1000 wow and flutter specs have been corrected. Pioneer says there was a typo in the original specs..

That's too funny -- after all of the angst on the vinyl nutcase forums (fora) about that tt. I enjoy playing records (never stopped) but the current cultist mentality around the rite of spinning a polyvinyl chloride disk just makes me want to shake my head.

voltz

I hate to admit it but the looks of a good TT sure turns my head.

One look at John's table and your jaw drops and drools hit's your shirt and you wonder how much better that has to sound then my Pro-ject!

We don't buy audio equipment based on how they look, or do we?

msg

machone wrote: »

The PLX1000 wow and flutter specs have been corrected. Pioneer says there was a typo in the original specs..

Weird, I'm still seeing 0.1 everywhere. Can you post a reference, please?

machone

I read about the correction on the steve hoffmann forum. They had a link to some Pioneer official that made the statement.

You can go to pioneerdj.com and look up the PLX1000 specs. <0.01%

msg

I saw the PioneerDJ.com info, but was just reading on a tablet and wasn't sure whether that was an officially sanctioned Pioneer site. Is it? Looks a little 1990's-ish. Weird that Pioneer wouldn't correct that figure on the main site product spec page.
https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/product/turntable/plx-1000/black/specifications/
Does indeed list wow and flutter at < 0.01%; same as the Technics.

And, as noted, a search through the SteveHoffman thread for .01 turns up a review by a user with both a Technics SL1200MK3 and the Pioneer PLX 1000, and he says he can't tell a difference that both play with perfect speed control. Interesting.

One of the reasons I wanted to go Technics was for some of the aftermarket support, KAB for example. I've been seeing questions of mod-ability with the Pioneer, but haven't read much on the possibilities. I will say that I would prefer to have the option to use my own cables on the Technics, and can't do this easily without a rewire. As I understand, the oe is supposed to be decent as long as it wasn't that model with the high capacitance cable. Kevin at KAB discusses it at the bottom of this page. Nice that the Pioneer has jacks.

I don't think I even looked closely enough to know what wow and flutter was before this morning. If I did, I don't remember, but do recall being somewhat put off enough by the figure and all the chatter over it on SteveHoffman. Along with talk of loose bearings and such and a previous so-so experience with a hollow-y Technics clone, I had to see for myself what the fuss was about over the original Technics tables.

I'd give one of the Pioneers a shot if I found one sale and were still in the market for a table. I was so caught up in Technics fever that I paid more than a new PLX-1000 for a gently used SL-1200 in oe box/packing.

Side note - I didn't realize they had a second table available - the PLX-500? $350 on Amazon. Based on the PLX-1000, but with captive cable, and switchable built in phono preamp.
https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/product/turntable/plx-500/black/overview/

Gatecrasher

machone wrote: »

The PLX1000 wow and flutter specs have been corrected. Pioneer says there was a typo in the original specs..

That's good to know. I found it hard to believe that the Pioneer would be that much worse than a Technics.

I'm leaning towards the PLX1000 but wouldn't mind getting a new Technics too.

My old turntable was a Technics SL-23 that I bought brand-new. It served me well over the years and I always liked it until it was destroyed in a moving van a couple moves ago.

I haven't had a turntable in a few years now, although I have purchased a few releases on vinyl just because that was the only format they were available on.

machone

https://forums.pioneerdj.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/206682123-PLX-1000-wow-and-flutter

This is the link where the Pioneer guy says that their website is correct and that there was an earlier typo.

msg

Doesn't matter to me anymore since I know the story now, but am I missing something, or is the spec still listed incorrectly?

The thread in that link says it's correct on the Pioneer website, but the main Pioneer website still has it listed at 0.1%.

I do see that PioneerDJ does have it listed as 0.01%, and listed as 0.01% in their manual, which, oddly, is not available for download on the main Pioneer site. Only the brochure, which again, has the incorrect spec.

Seems to me someone ought to take care of that, given all the trouble it caused, resulting in potential customers settling on other tables over it.

mhardy6647

It's a weird thing, isn't it?