At the risk of going off topic as well, I need to respond as a very satisfied owner of a Technics 1200 TT.
My earlier posting apparently needs clarification. I have become very aware of the attitudes of high end audio regarding the Technics 1200 TT line. When you could buy the TT from a DJ outlet for slightly over cost, why would anyone buy it for list? Dealers were and are far more likely to push those units that allow a more generous margin.
Regarding the motor, the facts are that the Technics SP02 had a hi-torque 48 pole motor as it was part of a disc cutting system. This same motor was carried over to the original SP10. The 1200 uses a 12 pole motor because it was designed from the beginning as a playback only machine. Playback only, no cutting, different requirements. That motor and bearing assembly developed by the Panasonic Special Projects group was used in every TT developed with the MKII designation. It is simply not true that parts were unavailable then or now. You can get the full range of parts directly from the Panasonic website today.
You seem to miss my point. I'm not talking about now, I'm talking about almost 30 years ago. The situation was different then. At the very least there was no web page to order from. You called up and ordered parts from the wharehouse, then they invoiced you when the parts shipped, or if you didn't have an account you prepaid. So what did we do wrong? I know for a fact that we had a hard time getting parts, not just for tables, but also for receivers, tape decks, and other pieces. Were you ordering parts 30 years ago? If so, then you must have had a connection that we didn't.
You talk about the MKII tables, but what about before that? There was a ton of product shipped before the MKII was made, or was that perfect too?
I personally don't give a rat's behind about the 1200 MK whatever. Look I owned various Technics pieces in the old days - a couple of receivers, a tape deck, parts of the "pancake" series, some speakers (remember the SB7000s?), an sl-12, then 2 (count em) of the semi-automatics with the digital displays. I used these for DJ work long before scratching was popular. I fell for the Technics image lock, stock, and barrel. But then I heard better and moved on.
There are a number of reasons why someone would buy list, but as I said, I gave a discount so your point is somewhat moot. The stores that sold Technics had no clue what they were doing and were frequently doing a disservice to customers. One store used to install Sonus carts on their tables, the cantilevers would collapse 6 months later and the customers would come to us for replacements. So I saw first hand how the stores treated their customers. BTW - I was once one of those customers.
Chairs orginal question had to do with why tables originally came with bell like platters. I explained the pricing reasons and the marketing reasons behind those decisions. I spoke from direct experience selling the product. You may not like it, but I have yet to see you do anything but defend your table, a table that still has a bell like platter. Since you seem to have an inside line to present Technics R&D, why is that still the case? If I'm wrong, then tell me why I'm wrong in the historical context to which my post was written.
