- Technics celebrates 55 years of its hugely popular SL-1200 turntable
- New anniversary edition teased, full launch in September
- Adds gold, gold, and more gold to the existing model
Since the launch of the original Technics SL-1200 in late 1972, the model has proven a staple of hip-hop and DJ culture, and newer editions such as the SL-12000GR2 keep winning us over. With a milestone coming up, the brand is set to celebrate its birthday in style.
Technics has unveiled a 55th anniversary model of the SL-1200 (despite it only being 54 years since 1972, but who doesn’t fudge the numbers when a birthday is coming up?) which is set to be fully unveiled in September.
We’ve had a good look at the new record player already, thanks to an early tease from the brand, so we know what it’s all about. The only actual information we still need is how much the SL-1200 55th Anniversary Edition will cost — but given the design, there might be a surcharge to pay over the closest original.
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The current MK7 model goes for $1,200 / £849 / AU$1,699, and since that’s the platform that the Anniversary Edition is based on, it’ll likely cost a fair bit more.
How to celebrate a birthday
The main distinguisher for the SL-1200 55th Anniversary Edition is the addition of lots of bling.
Tonearm base? Gold. Knobs and buttons? Gold. Platter? Gold rimmed. Tonearm? Gold-anodised. Don’t forget the gold slip mat. And, as you can see at the top of this article, there’s a fully-gold color model you can buy. However there are also blue, black, white, red, green and gray models, which give the gold something to actually contrast.
For clarity, I’m not knocking it: celebrate your birthday however you want, Technics.
Features and tech-wise, Technics has made a effort not to play about too much with what makes the SL-1200 work. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s really the gold trim which makes this stand out.
As mentioned, it’s based on the SL-1200 MK7. This means it’s a manual turntable with an aluminum platter, stylus-illuminator LED, Universal Static Balance tonearm, pitch adjustment dial and phono output.
Now, turntable fans might be getting deja vu here. The brand is no stranger to fancy editions, even gold-flecked ones, releasing a SL-1200 Master Edition last year with perhaps 55% as much gold as the new birthday model.
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