Technics SL-1100

The Technics SL-1100 is where hip hop’s turntable story really begins. Launched in 1971 as one of Technics’ first direct-drive decks with a built-in tonearm, it came before the famous SL-1200, and it’s the model DJ Kool Herc played in the Bronx.

History

Technics introduced the world’s first direct-drive turntable, the SP-10, in 1970. The SL-1100 followed the next year with an integrated arm. Its motor gets the heavy 35 cm platter up to speed in about half a rotation and holds speed steadily. It was made until 1975, in SL-1100 and SL-1100A versions, and early units carried National or Panasonic branding.

Kool Herc’s decks

In a 2018 Red Bull Music Academy interview, Herc said his model was the 1100A. His main working sound system from the mid-70s, with two SL-1100A turntables, a GLI 3880 mixer and a McIntosh amplifier, sold at Christie’s in 2022 for $201,600. The common story that Herc used SL-1200s is a myth; Technics itself says it was the earlier deck.

Buying one today

Don’t confuse the SL-1100, the SL-1100A and the SL-110, which is the same deck without a tonearm. Check that the motor locks to speed, the arm bearings are tight and the wiring is sound. These are 50-year-old decks, so a serviced unit is worth paying for.