Technics SL-1200

Technics SL-1200 is a series of turntables manufactured since October 1972 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. S means "Stereo", L means "Player". Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among radio and club disc jockeys, thanks to the direct drive high torque motor design, making it, initially, suitable for pushbutton queuing and starting of tracks on radio. Latterly, when the use of slip-mats for cueing and beat-mixing (and scratching) became popular, the quartz-controlled high torque motor system came into its own. The deck design was primarily to create the best audio production for listening, but the aim to get very solid control over wow and flutter, in addition to maximum prevention of resonance from the sound produced, meant it became the primary turntable for installation into nightclubs and other venues where the sound level precluded the use of other turntables with similar capabilities. Since its release in 1978, SL-1200MK2 and its successors have been the most common turntable for DJing and Scratching aka—Turntablism. Producers, DJ's & Rap MC's from around the world frequently refer to the legendary Technics turntable as the "Tec 12's" "Wheels of Steel" and the "Ones & Twos". The Technics turntable brand can be found as a key instrument in some of the most exclusive recording studios & live performance sets within the music scene. Since 1972, more than 3 million units have been sold. It is widely regarded as one of the most durable and reliable turntables ever produced. Many of the models manufactured in the 1970s are still in heavy use. In the autumn of 2010, Panasonic announced that the series was to be discontinued due to marketplace conditions.

According to notable journalist Tom Terrell of NPR, the Technics 1200 SL direct-drive turntable is "the most important musical instrument of the last two-and-a-half decades."

At the London Science Museum, Technics SL-1210 is on display as one of the pieces of technology that have shaped the world we live in.