Dub dot dash

Technics to stop production of turntables?
Late last week I heard reports that Technics was stopping production of turntables, including their classic staple, the Technics 1200 and the 1210. This turntable is the global standard for DJs - walk into a club anywhere in the world, and you'll find 1200's in the DJ booth. It has even been recognised as an official design classic.

Pocket Lint report that "We’ve seen a couple of reports on message boards that seem to indicate that the iconic Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210s may be about to be discontinued. If true, it would be a surprise, as both models represent iconic turntables and are widely considered the industry standard in nightclubs.

"The rumours appear to originate from a New Zealand DJ shop called DMC World, which says on its product page: “Panasonic (the manufacturer of Technics) have announced that production of the world famous Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210 DJ turntables will stop at the end of February 2010.

"The turntables have been around for more than 35 years, and are featured in the London museum of Science and Technology as an important step in how music has been played and presented over the last century. Their popularity has ensued due to their tank-like construction, high torque and effective insulation from acoustic feedback....

".. an Australian dance music website, inthemix.com.au, has a quote from a Panasonic spokesman - Ian North - who says: "It is a sad day today but due to low sales globally in analogue turntables a decision to stop production has been made on Technics Turntables. For Australia this means we will receive our last shipment in March".

DMC originally posted this: "We have just heard the sad new from Panasonic (the manufacturer of Technics) that production of the world famous Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210 DJ turntables will stop at the end of February 2010. This marks the end of an era - Technics have been the industry standard for over 35 years with this turntable and the SL-1200 is synonymous with the DJ culture. It has been released and re-released over 9 times with different models and numerous other manufacturers have tried to compete with this deck, but above all, the Technics SL-1200 & Technics SL-1210 are the undisputed number one deck in the world."

It has been reposted to numerous message boards around the globe, but I have heard that DMC was asked to take it down from their website by Technics, as Panasonic NZ had been a bit premature with the announcement.

ADDED Dec9: Slashgear reports that  Technics has issued a statement saying they have “no current plans” to discontinue the iconic turntables.