[Ecaz]

I'm interested in picking up a used 1200mk2 for my first vinyl rig, and am curious what to ask about / look out for on used Technics 1200's on ebay or craigslist? Seems to be quite a few in my area (Tampa).

Thanks for the help!

 

[memepool]

I'd find out what kind of music the guy who has it plays if he is an aspiring DJ who has decided to get rid of his decks and move onto something else which is usually the case.

If it's Hip Hop or worse Turntablism then leave well alone, if it's Garage or Trance or House then chances are the style of mixing won't have put too much physical wear on anything other than the speed slider.

The main things to check are whether the arm has any rattles and most imporantly whether the deck spins silently.

Arm bearings get shot very easily on the Technics but this isn't such a disaster as it means you can beat the price down and just replace the arm which is easy enough.

The original arm can be replaced for less than 100USD, or you can upgrade it to a Rega or Jelco arm for between 2-300USD which makes the Technics competitive with higher end 4 figure plus belt drives soundwise.

Noise coming from the main bearing is more serious and means you'd have to spend more than the deck is worth to get it going. You can replace the bearing but upgrades start around 350USD and are harder to fit yourself because it means stripping the whole thing down.

It goes without saying you should try to verify the state of the deck in person or make sure the vendor will refund you if his knowledge isn't upto ascertaining these things reliably himself...

 

[Ecaz]

Thanks for the great info!