I am a digital dj and have been for around a year now. Using a DDJ SX running serato. Have been interesting in getting a set of turntables to run channels 3 and 4 through on my sx for quite some time now due to just a general interest in learning the ways.
I am only looking for an entry level set, something decent but not too expensive. Would prefer to buy new, but would consider second hand obviously with the right deal etc.
just to let you know, if you bought turntbables to use in channel 3 & 4 of your SX you wont be able to use timecode with them on Searto DJ, you would only be able to use real vinyl, but as a starter pair and SUper OEM turntable will serve the purpose, or find yourself some second hand 1210’s
if you want to get some turntables, only get Technics 1200 or 1210 mk2 or up. If you buy a different brand then decide to sell them, you’ll just lose heaps of money as only Technics have the strong re-sale value and demand. You won’t lose money on a set of Technics, maybe you’ll even see the price go up as production has stopped.
They are absolute super troopers and if well looked after will last forever. There are loads of guides on buying used Technics, and you do need to be a bit careful. Only buy a set you can inspect before you pay, stay away from anything “modified” (blue leds, aftermarket cables etc).
It’s not uncommon to need to replace and / or recalibrate the pitch fader, this is pretty easy to do. Just check the platter spins freely (oil once a year with proper Technics oil) and the tonearm is straight and swings freely, and you’re all good.
Cartridges / needles can be really expensive, for time code a Stanton 500 is fine and very commonly included with second hand decks - if not included maybe look for a different set.
If you’re picking up a mixer as well, just find someone who’s selling 2 x 1210 and their mixer, they may even have some vinyl they want to get rid of too!
Not meaning to be facetious but if another brand of turntables cost half as much as a pair of Technics then it doesn’t matter if you are only able to sell them for half what you could sell a pair of Technics for! Strong second-hand values in turntables are surely only a selling point if you buying some brand-new?
My Vestax pdx2000 mk2s cost me £180 for the pair. Yes they might only be worth half what my Technics are worth should I sell them, but then they cost me half what I paid for my Technics. And they are every bit as good as my Technics.
I know Technics turntables are (rightly) revered in the DJ world, but I would never suggest that they are the only turntables worth buying when there are so many other excellent turntables out there, many of which improve on aspects of the Technics design.
The suggestion of them increasing in value is an interesting point and I’d love to know whether this will be the case (other than for unopened boxed ones or the mintiest of mint examples). It seems to me that there are simply too many of them in circulation, and now production has stopped the world and his dog seem to be on the case trying to sell pairs with the common description along the lines of “these are only going up in value, grab a pair whilst you can” thinking they are going to be able to cash in on some kind of perceived scarcity in the market.
A quick check on the local classifieds (just here in the UK) normally shows pages of adverts for 1200/1210s, many of them months old with prices that vary between optimistic and pure fantasy.
I ended up getting my Mk2 for a price way below what it was advertised for simply because the guy couldn’t sell them (he initially wouldn’t even let them go separately). My M3D was a similar story- I had sent out enquiring emails to 3 local sellers and after I had an offer accepted (of half the advert price on one) both the other sellers contacted me offering their 1210s at even lower offers simply because they wanted to move them on.
I know Patch on here has had a set of amazing refurbished 1210s for sale on this very site for some time now and even started a thread a while ago about whether or not they were over-priced. And they are some of the nicest examples I have seen and yet had not sold (as far as I’m aware!) despite a couple of price drops.
Perhaps this is unique to the UK but it seems to me that unless you are willing to play the long game with selling them I certainly wouldn’t fancy my chances of selling mine on for anything more than I paid for them (which was significantly less than the average advert price over here).