Looks like Panasonic's Technics 1200 turntable really has been fazed out.

The Technics SL-1200 MK2 MK3 MK4 MK5 M5G MK6 LTD & GOLD are a series of turntables manufactured since October 1972 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. S means "Stereo", L means "Player". Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among radio and club disc jockeys. Since its release in 1978, SL-1200MK2 and its successors have been the most common turntable for DJing and scratching. The MK2 presented several improvements, including to the motor and casing. 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. Rappers have referred to the turntable in pairs as "1200's", "Tee 12's", "Technics", "Tec 12's", "wheels of steel" and "the one and twos".

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The talk of Panasonic ending production of the 1200 has been floating around
for quite some time now. I never thought it was official until now.

I saw some articles about certain models of the 1200 being fazed out but
I was still very hopeful that there still would be a few versions still made.

Here are a couple articles I have come across that make me think the end is near.

JDLP


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Dead spin: Panasonic discontinues Technics analog turntables

October 28, 2010

5TOKYO (TR) – Fans of analog music were dealt another blow when consumer electronics company Panasonic announced earlier this month that it would be discontinuing the audio products within its Technics brand, most notably the legendary line of analog turntables.

On October 20, the company said that it was winding down production of the Technics SL-1200MK6 analog turntable, the SH-EX1200 analog audio mixer and the RP-DH1200 and RP-DJ1200 stereo headphones due to challenges in the marketplace.

“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 company said in statement issued to The Tokyo Reporter.

Last year, Japan’s last remaining vinyl pressing plant, owned by the production company Toyo Kasei, produced around 400,000 discs from its multifloor factory in Yokohama’s Tsurumi Ward, a far cry from the industry’s peak of 70 million four decades ago.

Panasonic said that sales of analog decks today represent roughly 5 percent of the figure from ten years ago. At present the company has no plans for putting analog turntables back on the market.

The SL-1200 series turntable, which enjoys a massive following in the DJ community and with vinyl audiophiles, had been in continuous production since 1972. Since then 3.5 million units have been produced, making the brand’s purple and grey logo (“Technics” written twice) an icon in clubs.

The Technics brand had achieved its widespread popularity largely due to its durable Direct Drive (via magnets) turning mechanism and its heavy 12.5-kilogram base (composed of what is known as the Technics Non Resonance Compound), which isolated the platter so as to reduce feedback and the chance that the cartridge would jump.

Japan’s DJ community was abuzz, notably on the social-networking site Twitter, following the announcement. Tatsuo Sunaga (dubbed “The Record Chief”) said in an email that the announcement was unfortunate.

“I’ve been using these products for around 20 years and rarely suffered a breakdown,” explained Sunaga, who is a club DJ, spinning jazz up and down Japan, and the author of “I’ll Take That Record!” — a chronicle of a three-year vinyl-buying spree. “This type of excellence is something not seen globally, and I think the fact that one doesn’t need to purchase subsequent models as being the reason for forcing the move.”

But even if turntable manufacturers targeting top DJs continue to shrink their output, Sunaga sees those who prefer analog today as being too obsessed with the format to allow it to become extinct. “I don’t think analog users will lose interest,” he said.

Regarding the Technics brand itself, nothing has been decided other than the discontinuation of the mentioned products, the statement said.



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