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Technics Headshell Weight (?)

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day67

Super Member
Are there different types of the black Technics headshells that are commonly found? I see Needledoctor has a Technics hs ($40.) not cheap, but weight is listed as 5.66.. grams, something like that.

I have a few that look identical but are nowhere near that light. Made in Japan, a genuine Technics hs but in at around 6.5 grams not including the weight of the leads.

Anyone know what's up with these or how you can tell prior to buying one what the weight is? Or, were there particular models 1200MK's or others that came with the lighter headshell?
 
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day67 said:
Are there different types of the black Technics headshells that are commonly found? I see Needledoctor has a Technics hs ($40.) not cheap, but weight is listed as 5.66.. grams, something like that.

I have a few that look identical but are nowhere near that light. Made in Japan, a genuine Technics hs but in at around 6.5 grams not including the weight of the leads.

Anyone know what's up with these or how you can tell prior to buying one what the weight is? Or, were there particular models 1200MK's or others that came with the lighter headshell?
Click to expand...

I think you're just looking at an error on ND's part.

Except for the plastic ones that were included on some of the low priced turntables, there are two different types of Technics headshells for the S-arm models. There is the "MK 2" type such as the one ND sells (and that others sell for half that price) and there is the type for earlier "MK 1" direct drives.

The MK2 headshell weighs 7.5 grams, according to both published Technics specs and my digital scale. Maybe the ND weight is without the wires but that still sounds light. The "MK 1" type is distinguished by a single screw on top that secures the adjustable "sled" that the cartridge attaches to. These weigh 9.5 grams according to Technics but the two I have weigh 9.0 grams.

There are some aftermarket copies of the MK 2 type that look the same, except they don't say "Technics", but weigh around 10 grams.

John
 
Thanks, John. That makes sense. I don't think the ND hs could look exactly the same but weight that much less. S'pose I could contact ND and verify,.........Naaaa, not so inclined. Thanks!
 
day67 if you have a SL-1200Mk2 the original factory OEM headshell weighs 7.5GR and I would highly recommend using it. You can get one from KAB or check AKs Barter Town, Ebay, new ones run around $25-$30. Stay away from the generics etc.
 
Majick, on board with that. I have 2 Technics hs's one with a cart already installed so i won't break that down to confirm the weight of the HS alone. No idea what model it's from but it's a genuine Technics.

The one I have on my bench is also an aluminum Technics which came off my 1600MK2. Deal with that one is that it was "lightened" by someone i would guess. The finger lift is shorten and narrowed and has an extra hole in the top. It weighs in at about 6.4 grams. Someone did quite a nice job on it but I wasn't sure of the starting weight before the trim. I should show a picture!
 
day67 if you show a photo we should be able to ID the Technics HS. The modified/lightened HS was probably done to get a heavier cartridge more compliant with the tonearm. You could check VE for specs on the particular model turntable for HS weight and search for photos of the related headshell. Note, Technics didn't reinvent the wheel and used some of the same headshells in other EPA tonearms, EPA-100/250 etc. As for the generics, Numarks, Stantons etc I avoid like the plague, little to no QC, made in China, not Japan.
 
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