RIP: Technics 1210s

Very sad to read in the Independent that Panasonic have halted production of that mainstay of club culture for the past few decades, the Technics 1210 turntable.


The plug has been pulled apparently because of "a decline in demand for these analogue products and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analogue components necessary to sustain production". Bummer. That's my own 1210 mk5 above. Ain't she a beaut?

I know a lot of DJs who use laptops but also a lot who use gadgets like Serato Scratch, which still require turntables. Now, I don't use Serato, though I'd love to have a go, but I wonder if it makes any difference how good your turntable is when you use it? Of course, I'm not saying a decent DJ would be happy to use some cheap crappy turntable, but they might also decide not to splash out a grand on a pair of 1210s when Serato costs over £400 anyway.

Just a thought, because when vinyl seems as popular as ever and sales are doing well, I find it curious that the manufacturer of the turntable du choix decide to pull the plug. Like I say, bummer.

Long live vinyl!