Has anyone bought one of these from 1200s.com? Complete Tone Arm / Tonearm Base Assembly SL-1200 G & SL-1210 G I ask because based on the pictures it looks like the RCA’s are built into the cup, but the pictures are kind of confusing. I’m curious about the replacement process with one of these if anyone has gone through it. Is it as straight forward as it looks?
correct, I’m talking about the assembly for the “G” and not the mkii. Does the whole cup just pop out without any rewiring? It’s just hard to tell from the images, but that’s what it looks like to me. Thought maybe someone had upgraded a GR with the “G” tonearm this way.
"Comes with everything seen in picture." Obvious question, which picture? "Due to the delicate nature of this item and the many components involved we will not accept returns. All sales are final." Er! No! That would seal the (non) deal for me. (My underline.)
I emailed them first to clarify lead times and second to get more information about what I asked above. The responses were fast and detailed, but I never really got a direct answer to my question from them about the wiring. I don’t disagree with your concern about the return policy, but at the same time I understand where they’re coming from too. I could see something like that being abused a variety of different ways and I would not like to receive a previously used product at that price point.
I would highly recommend you contact the dealer and talk to them about what you plan to do before buying such an expensive, non-returnable item.
That’s fine, but that’s ultimately why I’m asking here. I’d much more interested in someone’s personal experiences than speculations from a dealer. I’m quite surprised I wasn’t able to find a tear down video on YouTube.
It was just the tonearm though right? Not the entire assembly as pictured in the link? You rewired the tonearm to the internals of the mkii?
Not sure if this helps, but I sent my tonearm + base assembly to 1200s.com, and they put a new tonearm on the base and shipped it back to me. Still working fine 6 years on. Removing the tonearm + base seemed to be the easiest route to go. YouTube creator viperfrank still has a video on how to do that for a SL-1200 Mk2 or something similar.
The G/GAE tone arm is wired rite to the rca (female). If I remember, there's 2 screws that attach the rca cable & small terminal board under the platter. Just unscrew the cable & pull it out from the bottom. Your going to have to cut the bottom of the 1200 base to accommodate the 1210 arm. Just make the cut a little larger than the housing of the new arm. Sorry, I don't remember what size hole saw I used. There's a You Tube link that shows how to disassemble the 1200 tone arm.
FWIW, I really can't say if it's worth it. I had as of last year when I purchased the GAE, I had 2-1200's. One arm was stock & the other table had the SME 309 on it. After about 50 hrs. on the GAE I decided to swap the arms & took me about 80 mins. & they were both up & running. Before the GAE came to my home, there was a difference between the SME & the stock arm on the 2-1200's. W/O having the same cartridge on the fully modded 1200 (btw) & has the AT-150mlx & the SME has the Hana ML. The music is real close. The SME wins out, but that just might be the Cartridge. YMMV
Cool. Direct drop in? I always suspected they copied the dimensions of the MK4 tonearm assembly for the 1200G - looks like that might actually be the case (the MK4 is basically an MK2 with RCA connections, titanium tonearm and 78rpm button).
M5G has a larger hole under the tonearm. Curious if it will accept the G arm cup without the cutting necessary for the MK2.
I'm not in the market for a M5G, as I have my original Mk2, the GAE & an EMT 948. Rite now the Mk2 is in mothballs. My 2nd setup has an Thorens 126 MK2. So I'm setup for now.
My late model Black SL-1200 Mk II has 1200's.com upgraded interconnects. It's had the ground modification done. Note this was previous owner's modifications/upgrades.
The SL-1200G tonearm assembly is essentially removable as a unit. The new assembly from 1200s.com is a drop-in unit. The lower wiring cup itself is however completely removable. It can be swapped for a cup the integrates balanced/XLR connections. If you’ve got a damaged tonearm only, consider purchasing a replacement tonearm only rather than the entire assembly. There are a lot of screws on the bottom of the SL-1200G, they’re very tightly fitted, you have to be particularly careful to avoid damaging the feet, and anyone doing the tonearm change at home is advised to bring the correct tool and an appropriate amount of patience. Don’t use a screwdriver with a tapered tip - use the flatter-tipped tool that 1200s.com recommends. Otherwise, the tool will slip and damage could result. When using a replacement armboard from Ammonite or Origin Live to accommodate an entirely different tonearm on the SL-1200G (e.g., from Rega or Origin Live), removing the Technics assembly with unified lower wiring/jack cup frees up enough space to properly run the integrated cable in those tonearms without having to make any severe bends in the cable. An SL-1200G with an Origin Live Illustrious tonearm performs extremely well. I’ve also seen and heard an SL-1200G running a modified Ammonite armboard for a Rega RB880. Both were/are excellent combinations. How much audibly better (or just different) either tonearm is compared to the also excellent SL-1200G magnesium-wand tonearm and those superb Technics pivot bearings is debatable. For the record, I’ve been completely satisfied with my stock SL-1200G tonearm (currently running an Ortofon 2M Black into the new Six Acoustic Belmont phono preamp I’m assessing - so far, excellent) and have no intention of making a change.
Not separately available for the new models, but some sellers offer it after removing it from the assembly.
