SL-1200 mk ii Turntable

[OldiesButGoodies]

Eli and I bought a pair of semii-dead Technics 1200 mkII for cheap.  This once required 20 q tips,  a new set of RCAs, some of my home made gentle version of windex and Brasso to revive.  A new dust cover and shell are on their way to complete before selling on to some lucky vinyl lover on fleabay.

 

[schwarcw]

Very nice tables!  Why not offer them up here for somebody who may be in the market for a nice table?  If you get no takers, them by all means put them on the 'Bay.

[Reverend]

[SunnyDaze]

Depending on how well mine cleans up, I may actually throw a tonearm on it, grab an external power supply, and keep it.

Then again, it'd be good trade bait.

[OldiesButGoodies]

Carl

May offer it here,  will see how it goes  after the shell arrives (need to test it to see how pretty it sounds - the shell you see on the photo looks good enough but does not have the channels to mount a cart - it has a screw that fits into some sort of Dual-like cartridge super-chassis).    If I knew someone was planning to really use it it would be easier,  but I would hate to sell it here at a discount and then see it on fleabay the week after selling for more (has happened before, unfortunately).

Either way I had a blast cleaning this table up.  Never owned a Technics 1200 before:  very heavy and clearly well made.  These things were made to take a beating and keep on licking. 

The Mexican

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

Shipping tables is a PITA.   I would sell it local.

[OldiesButGoodies]

Mark:

I enjoy figuring out a way to ship a TT safely.  kind of a eng challenge.  generally I try to ship the dust cover separately along with the platter - otherwise the dustcover arrives in tatters.    sometimes i fabricate a brace to hold the table within a range of position within the box (can't lock it or it absorbs all the impacts directly  ).  I buy the bubble wrap in bulk to soften the packing material expense. 

I shipped a couple of Spica TC-60s sandwiched to form a cube inside a box,  separated by carton and some bubble wrap.  What an idiotic packing decision.  They never had a chance.  I find speakers with heavy magnets to be more of a challenge!

Pepe

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

I just shipped an old reel to reel to WVa.   I found it a challenge but not an enjoyable one.

[papabearjew]

Capt.  I think I have a headshell that will fit

[SunnyDaze]

Do you have two of them PBJ?

[Slim-Shaddy]

The 1200 is a really good table that gets too little respect from the audio community. I preferred it to my Music-Hall MMF 5 and Rega RP 1. Granted, it was modded when I compared it to the RP1, but it was stock when I compared it to the MMF5. SD, why replace the arm? The stock one is actually pretty good.

I picked up my 1200 for $50 a couple years ago, and contemplated doing all kinds of mods, but the more I looked into it, the less sense it made. There are 2 major flaws in the table.... tonearm wires and rca jacks/wires, and it's looks. I had Tom rewire the tonearm and put rca jacks on the back of mine to take care of the former, and I plan to build a wood case for it to take care of the latter.

I really encourage both of you to give these tables a shot in your systems before flipping them on the bay.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/technics_sl1200_e.html

[Reverend]

I had the same thought.  Pepe, you might want to throw your Grado on the 1200, i think you'd be surprised at the sound/playability compared to your current table.  You're planning on litz-ing the arm on your rega but with that arm you can't change/update the arm weight or back section of the arm which is a major issue/improvement point.  It's kind of like putting a supercharger on a Cavalier.

[OldiesButGoodies]

oouch - Rev that hurt.

Tom:  Please stop work on the Rega RP-1 (ha ha - you have not started to do anything yet I know).  Will test the Grado on the 1200 first.   Maybe then rewire the arm if it kicks the rega's ass...

PBJ - thank you!  May drop by tonight and borrow that from ya...

Regards,

Pepe

[papabearjew]

Pepe,
I dug it out and it's waiting for you. I also have a Shure M97AH ERA IV which is an interesting concept. It is a Shure M97 ERA IV built into a headshell. Unfortunately it needs a stylus. I used to use it on a Yamaha PX-3. Let me know when you're going to stop by. After about 7 would be good.

[papabearjew]

8w I only have the one headshell and the one Shure cartridge headshell combo