Technics SL-1200
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Technics SL-1200 is a series of turntables manufactured from October 1972 until 2010 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics.
Since its release in 1978, SL-1200MK2 and its successors have been the most common turntable for DJing and Scratching (also known as Turntablism). Producers, DJs & Rap MCs refer to the Technics turntable as the "Tec 12's", "Wheels of Steel" and the "Ones & Twos". Apart from their iconic status in hip-hop and electronic music culture, Technics 1200s are also commonly used in recording studios and for non-electronic live music performance. Since 1972, more than 3 million units have been sold. It is widely regarded as one of the most durable and reliable turntables ever produced. Many of the models manufactured in the 1970s are still in heavy use. In the autumn of 2010, Panasonic announced that the series was to be discontinued due to marketplace conditions.