Technics has introduced a new model to its illustrious range of turntables. The SL-1210GR is the same as the SL-1200GR we saw at CES at the beginning of the year, but comes sporting a rather fetching new black finish.

And, for those of you interested in snapping up one of these new decks, either the silver SL-1200GR or black 1210GR, the company has announced the all important price and availability. Either can be yours for £1299 each and should hit stores in April, putting them firmly in the affordable category, especially when compared to the high-end, reference class £3000 SL-1200G turntable, which shares some of its technology with the GR series.

The GR series has had more tuning input this time round from Jonathan Danbury, the UK's Technics specialist. The company is all too aware that different markets prefer different sounds, but the SL-1200GR and SL-1210GR have been tuned to give a balanced sound across the board and to just reproduce whatever record is playing, exactly how the artist intended. 

First released in 1974, the Technics SL-1200 turntable was initially targeted at the audiophiles out there, but it is of course DJs that have come to love them and make them synonymous with dance and hip-hop culture. Speaking at an exclusive product briefing, DJ Yoda told us about his love for the iconic turntable, and said he still uses the original decks he purchased more than 20 years ago. While cartridges and software may get swapped out year on year, the actual turntable has remained the same, proving not only their build quality, but their sound quality too.

The Technics GR series turntables join the SL-1200G and the now sold out, limited edition SL-1200GAE.