Oh no. Gene's at it again.

I recently purchased a Technics SL1200MK2 for a very good price and used it to replace my Lenco L75, which I used with a Grado MC+ mono cart (I use a VPI Scout/Dynavector 10×5 for stereo).

I decided to upgrade the Technics, just to see what all the fuss about this turntable is about. I replaced the entire tonearm assembly, the footers, and added a thick mat and record stabilizer.

New tonearm assembly (I bought these second-hand from a guy via AudioAsylum, and they’re all from KAB:

1. Technics SL-1210 M5G tonearm (which is wired with OFC copper)
2. Tonearm Fluid Damper
3. PC-1200 phono interconnect mount
4. LTD gold wire leads

New feet:

New mat and stablizer:

1. SuperSonic record stabilizer from Herbie’s Audio Lab
2. 1/4″ thick Supermat from KAB

General assembly tips: When taking apart the 1200, you’ll encounter quite a variety of screws. Be sure you remember which goes where when you put the table back together (an empty egg carton is a good way to keep your screws organized). I also downloaded a .pdf of a 1200 repair manual, and referred to that quite a bit.

To remove the tonearm/mount assembly, you have to remove the bottom cover of the table, which is made of rubber. You then remove the second cover, which sits between the rubber and the metal top of the turntable and is made of hard plastic. From there, you just remove the tonearm’s ground screw from the chassis, remove the three screws securing the tonearm mount to the chassis, and drop it out.

You have to keep the turntable upside down to do this. I did this by putting the dust cover on the table, and then resting the dustcover on some of that gray spongey packing material.

(closeups of fluid damper)
(closeups of PC-1200 mount)
(closeups of new feet)
(removing the original arm)
(picture of table with Supermat and SuperSonic stabilizer)
(my Juicy Music Tercel phono preamp, just ’cause it’s so pretty)

OK, OK, so how did it sound?

Whoa, this thing tightened up quite a bit. Pinpoint imaging, tighter bass, and cleaner highs. It easily trounces the Music Hall MMF-5 and Lenco L75 I had for a few years. There’s much more music coming out, but it’s also easier to listen to. And yes, this is all with a mono cartridge.

Granted, I can’t say exactly which part caused which improvement, because I did them all at once. But it was a fun project and well worth it.

You oughta hear how good the Monkees and Sinatra sound in original mono on this thing. Pretty soon I’ll put a stereo cart on it — gotta love those bayonet headshells.

Here’s Camille riding a mechanical horse and showing off her new haircut.

I filmed this with my new iPhone 3GS.

My brother on guitar, Sheldon on bass, and me on drums. In the garage one hot Terrytown summer, trying to lay down some tracks.

Song Number One

Here are some MP3s I made from cassette recordings of shows I made during my KLSU days.

I recorded these shows with cheap Normal grade audio cassettes, which are starting to deteriorate. So sound quality is likely to be spotty. I’ve had some tapes come off of their spools, so I can’t even play them. Bummer.

1. 1988 Groovin’ on the Grounds promo carts (14MB, 20 minutes) –– This one features John Arrizza doing his martini-hound schtick, Rob Cambre doing his dago hunk schtick, Jimmy Ott doing his Cheech Marin schtick, and Andrew Nackley doing a hilarious Morrissey impression.
2. The "audience show" (50MB, 45 minutes) –– from April, 1988. I used recordings of audiences during my voiceovers. This was a pretty rocking show: AC/DC, Scratch Acid, Dinosaur, etc.
3. The "Boojie Boy party show" (55MB, 45 minutes) –– this is a show I did before I went to a party at Boojie Boy’s house. This was a late-evening show, heavy on Gothic and Industrial music — Foetus, Legendary Pink Dots, SPK, Skinny Puppy, Dead Can Dance, and so on. Oh, and Fish and Roses’ big hit, “Have A Nice Day, and Fried Rice.”

Stay tuned, there are more on their way.