Technics SL-1200GAE

the new Technics 1200 turntables are going to cost $4,000

DJs, vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers were all psyched to hear that Technics’ classic SL-1200 turntable line was going back into production. They may be less psyched to learn that they’ll now cost around $4,000. According to What Hi-Fi?, both the magnesium-tone-arm limited anniversary edition SL-1200GAE turntable (only 1,200 made) and the aluminum-tone-arm SL-1200G, which will cost around the same. In 2008, when the line originally discontinued, SL-1200s sold for around $700 new.

Why the giant price hike? According to What Hi-Fi, the turntables had to be recreated from the ground up. Only dies of the dustcover remained. Technics CTO Tetsuya Itani explains:

“We began to study just a few months prior to IFA, maybe summer 2014, for the new SL-1200. We learned that it was impossible [to make the same deck], as almost all the tools for manufacturing were gone or heavily damaged – only one “die” remained, and that was for the dust cover.

“All the documents were kept, all the drafts… but it was not the Technics way. If we have a chance to start from scratch, we should. With new technology, new theory – that is this guy [the SL-1200G]. So it’s a new model from scratch.

“Everything is new… except for the dust cover. The weight of the platter is nearly 3 times the old ‘1200, and we also have a new motor, which is a very important point of the new model. The feet too. It’s heavy, the old 1200 was more plastic.”

Itani says Technics is planning to make a more affordable model. At some point. “But not definitely right now. We need to study.”

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