Panasonic is set to discontinue production of its famous SL-1200 record-player after 38 years of manufacturing, due to a lack of demand and the difficulty of finding components to service the iconic deck.
The SL-1200 is currently available in its 'Mark 6' iteration. It was the choice of turntable for DJs, mainly because it was tough as old boots and could withstand a good battering as you moved around from club to club to beer-soaked back rooms in dodgy pubs.
Yet the digital music revolution has finally seen the Technics turntable off.
With the plug being pulled on the Technics range of turntables, mixers and headphones, the analogue music era is, it would seem, officially over.
"Panasonic decided to end production mainly due to a decline in demand for these analogue products, and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analogue components necessary to sustain production," a spokesman for Panasonic told The Tokyo Reporter.
38 years of raving
Panasonic has sold around 3.5 million Technics SL-1200 model turntables since the original launch in 1972.
The announcement comes just days after Sony revealed that it would no longer be manufacturing and selling its iconic cassette Walkman in Japan.
Japanese DJ Tatsuo Sunaga ("The Record Chief") told The Tokyo Reporter how he felt Panasonic's announcement was unfortunate:
"I've been using these products for around 20 years and rarely suffered a breakdown.
"This type of excellence is something not seen globally, and I think the fact that one doesn't need to purchase subsequent models as being the reason for forcing the move."
"I don't think analog users will lose interest," added the Japanese DJ and Technics-fan.
Via Tokyo Reporter
