Technics Turntable Availability

larrybody

larrybody

Active Member
I ordered a new Technics SL-1210GR turntable last June. They are still on backorder with the dealer. It appears to be this way with all dealers. Does anyone have any idea what may be the cause of the delay? I know they moved production to Malaysia, but that was several months ago.
 
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I don't know what's going on with Technics specifically, but I do work in supply management for a US-based manufacturer. Pretty much anything that could go wrong in the global supply chain has gone wrong over the past year and a half. Port congestion/strikes, ship, truck, rail, and air freight availability (and cost!), container availability, manpower and labor disputes--it's rampant across pretty much every industry. Remember how you couldn't find toilet paper last April? Everything that manufacturers need is like toilet paper in April of 2020 now.
 
It seems like the shortage of goods is global for the reasons listed above. My observation is that the really big players like Walmart are getting priority treatment while the small and mid size businesses are the first to hit the backorder list.
 
Good points Zxezda.

In many cases, say bicycles for example which is an area in which I pretty familiar, it can be the lack of one small part that comes from a different factory/area/country that holds up a finished product. It all then trickles down.
 
1-Lean logistics and Just-In-Time production are great until ANYTHING goes wrong. Same with supply chains that span the entire globe. The global corporate chase for the cheapest labor, covered by cheap and fast shipping, is biting all of us in the ass.

2-I wonder how many logistics companies in the US are suffering because, after 50 years of corporate overlords shafting labor here, labor finally decided, during a deadly pandemic, to just say NO.

I suspect factors related to the above have much to do with Japanese turntables, produced by cheap labor in Malaysia from parts made in China, and shipped to the EU and the US in containers on massive steamships owned by corporate oligarchs, aren't as available as they would have been two years ago.
 
Zvezda said:
I don't know what's going on with Technics specifically, but I do work in supply management for a US-based manufacturer. Pretty much anything that could go wrong in the global supply chain has gone wrong over the past year and a half. Port congestion/strikes, ship, truck, rail, and air freight availability (and cost!), container availability, manpower and labor disputes--it's rampant across pretty much every industry. Remember how you couldn't find toilet paper last April? Everything that manufacturers need is like toilet paper in April of 2020 now.
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I couldn't have explained it any better. Unfortunately, I don't think things are going to get any better any time soon with the holiday season about to be full swing.

OP, I hope you get your turntable ASAP. If it's any consolation, I have 4 vinyl release pre-orders that are all delayed - and one of them was due in August.
 
larrybody said:
I ordered a new Technics SL-1210GR turntable last June.
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That's exactly the one I want. I haven't ordered it yet, but read on another forum that they were anticipating shipping the new Malaysian ones in October.
Haven't heard squat since. Then I heard that there was one "open box" return at an audio dealer in San Diego, (forget the name) but I never followed up on that lead. Seems like there's nothing else to do but wait. Guitar Center has other models, but not this one. I'm pretty excited, this will be my first new turntable since 1982, if they ever show up.
 
A worker shortage caused by Covid19 has caused major shortages of electronic components due to fewer being manufactured, which has flowed on to cause manufacturing delays with many things which use those parts, including cars and hi-fi equipment. Although the media have summarised it as being ‘chips’ being in short supply, it’s not just integrated circuits (chips), but resistors, capacitors, transistors and diodes, with delays ranging from months up to several years expected for some popular items.

Panasonic/Technics wouldn’t be immune from that and the transport industry problems.
 
MRL_Audio said:
How come Crosley has no supply chain issues?
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Perhaps the demand side of the supply and demand curve? Around here, anyone who actually wants one can walk into any Goodwill and find a barely used one for 20 bucks. Same on craigslist. A friend of mine got one for free for her teenage daughter on the neighborhood free stuff board.
 
After selling my 45 year old SL-1900 to a co-worker, I went to replace it with a new deck. I have had a Technics SL-1200GR on order since early December 2021. My local dealer still has no delivery date for me. On Monday, he told me that,

"Unfortunately, the supply situation is not getting better, getting worse if anything. We have NO turntables above the more entry level of performance, (under $1K), from ANY manufacturer."

Had I known this would take this long, I would not have let that SL-1900 go so soon. Going through a bit of withdrawal here...........
 
ETI_5000 said:
Panasonic/Technics wouldn’t be immune from that and the transport industry problems.
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They manage to supply Europe just fine, so I guess it may not be a supply chain issue.

Many Audio Technica models are currently unavailable, though.
 
I just looked at MusicDirect to get a sense for general turntable availability and quite a few models are out of stock there. I was surprised. I would guess that these issues should ease as omicron trends down and we get into Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Until then it's a great chance to try something on the used market or to find a deck that will hold its value when used and give it a try. There were plenty of VPI and MoFi turntables available new, for example.
 
Buy some thing made in the states. Only one choice there VPI. An older scout or scout jr or older Aries II or III. Stay away from the classics. They make a current direct drive model but they ain't cheap. Every once once in a while you can find a Prime at a reasonable price. Its harder now with off shore TT's becoming rare.
 
MoFi is made in Michigan. U-Turn, if looking on the budget side, made outside Boston.


twiiii said:
Buy some thing made in the states. Only one choice there VPI. An older scout or scout jr or older Aries II or III. Stay away from the classics. They make a current direct drive model but they ain't cheap. Every once once in a while you can find a Prime at a reasonable price. Its harder now with off shore TT's becoming rare.
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So, what you're saying is the Pro-Ject 1.2 that I had refurbed and had a new 2M red installed would be desirable right now.
I replaced it with a carbon esprit/SB. The 1.2 got the cartridge that came with the esprit. I installed a Blue point No 2 (If I was doing it today, I'd probably do a 2M Bronze or Black)
 
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