Technics Turntable, used by Grandmaster Flash
This Technics brand turntable was made by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., in Japan. It is a SL-1200 MK2 model, originally released in 1979 as a high fidelity record player for the average consumer, and was soon adopted by radio and club deejays. This model also became very popular with early hip hop deejays and was used by hip hop pioneer, Grandmaster Flash.
Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler), was born in Barbados in 1958. Growing up in the Bronx, he was influenced by his father's massive record collection. As a teenager, Grandmaster Flash first experimented with DJ equipment and became involved in the New York DJ scene while attending daytime technical school courses in electronics. The innovations and techniques developed by Grandmaster Flash established him as one of the pioneers of hip hop and deejaying.
plastic (overall material)
metal (overall material)
overall: 45 cm x 37 cm x 8 cm; 17 23/32 in x 14 9/16 in x 3 5/32 in
Gift of Grandmaster Flash
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The Technique 1200 was the standard turntable of its day for club dj's. I performed in a niteclub for over 13 years and used these turntables at every niteclub except one. I probably worked at forty niteclubs. These were the workhorses of the industry. Other manufacturers tried to copy the design but did not put in the same durable components. Some will argue they were not the best sounding turntable, but their longevity was without parallel. I have four of these turntables: two are the early model and the other two were purchased in the mid eighties. (The dust covers changed over time) I have all four still and they work thirty years later.
Glenn Jensen