Hello Zachary, 
in a message of 26 Nov 97 Zachary J. Gilley wrote to All ,
 Subject (Scratch Equipment...). 
 ZJG> I was wondering if anyone had any idea of what comprises a good hip-hop
 ZJG> turntable set up, the kind that they use to scratch and do all those 
ll
 ZJG> effects, and if anyone does, could they lemme know the specs on it and
 ZJG> the cabinet that it fit into? Thanks...
Most used are Technics SL-1200Mk2/SL-1210Mk2 Turntables. 
This is a short version of a FAQ of the Technics SL turnables:
1.0 - 1200 history
Sometime in the early 70's Technics released the original SL-1200 as a hi-fi 
turntable. Then sometime around 1978-79 they did some work improving the 
motor, 
redesigning the casing, adding a separate ground wire, etc. and released the 
SL-1200Mark2. This is what the majority of DJ's have and this design still 
endures today. The SL-1200Mk2 is the only version officially authorized for 
sale in the U.S. by Technics. The following derivatives are available on the 
gray market in the U.S. and are international versions (110/220V). The 
SL-1210Mk2 is essentially the 1200Mk2 except in black. Everything else is the 
same(## word has it that the 1210 is lighter than the 1200 and is more 
susceptible to rumble, etc.). (## To confirm that the 1200 and 1210 Mk2's are 
the same electronically speaking, the service manuals are identical for 
either model.) The SL-1200Mk3 is also in black but is supposed to have a 
better motor and other improvements.
The best price on a US version 1200 is from ProSound & Stage mentioned above 
in the L.A. area. They sell them for $399. There are a bunch of places in the 
L.A. area and in N.Y. which sell (likely international versions) 1200's and 
1210's for around $367. In the LA area, try Quality Electronics on Santa 
Monica Blvd. 
(Hollywood?) or Astro Sound somewhere in the valley. Get a hold of the L.A. 
Recycler for phone #'s... The 1200Mk3 goes for $499 at ProSound & Stage. 
These 
stores probably offer their own warranties as Technics/Matsushita will not do 
any kind of warranty work on non-US models.
2.3 - Which cartridge to get?
.Stanton 500AL's are cheapest, decent, and can take a lot of abuse. You can 
run
down to Radio Shack and get one in an emergency if necessary. Be careful not 
to
buy the broadcast versions - make sure the needle is in WHITE plastic - NOT 
dark blue. If you get stuck with a blue one you can buy a replacement styli 
and replace the blue one. The model to look for is D5107A. This is the same 
one RS sells. You can also replace the styli with the D5107E which gives you 
the 
elliptical stylus. .Stanton 500EL's are rugged, have a better freq.response 
over the straight AL's (due to the elliptical styli) and still relatively 
cheap. 
Basically the same cartridge body as the AL xcept with the D5107E styli. 
.Stanton 680EL's are popular with a lot of people for the elliptical needle 
(to help keep the needle in the groove) and for the slightly better response 
over the 500's. The 680AL has the spherical styli on it me thinks. .There's 
the new 
Stanton 890 which costs a lot but which has the 20-20k response. I haven't 
seen anyone using these...they probably behave the same as 680's from what I 
gather. Ortofon's (in general) look sharp and sound a lot better than 
Stanton's but are hard to find, expensive, and you can't put coins on the 
.Concorde Pro (xcept 
maybe if you have Danish coins...). You can't beat the ease of installation 
with a C-Pro though. .There is a Shure line but as mentioned above I'm not 
familiar with them at all. (someone needs to fill me in...)
The general feeling I've gotten from bpm and others I've talked with is to 
get 
500's if you are a scratching DJ, 680's for normal club mixing, Ortofon's 
also 
for club-use with a much better sound.
Vital Specs List:
 *******************************************************************
 Model(price)   TrackForce      Stylus  FreqRange       Separation
 ******************************************************************
STANTON
 500AL          2-5 gm          spheri. 20-17kHz        28db
 500EL          2-5 gm          ellipt. 20-18kHz        30db
 680AL          2-5 gm          spheri. 20-18kHz        28db
 680EL          2-5 gm          ellipt. 20-18kHz        30db
 890AL          2-7 gm          spheri. 20-20kHz        30db
ORTOFON
C-Pro
C-Pro N/C
Concorde
SHURE
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