Used DJ Equipment - Buying a Used DJ Turntable

Used DJ Equipment - Buying a Used DJ Turntable
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Adam_Miles]Adam Miles

Guide to Buying Used DJ Gear: How Not to Get Burned

Buying used DJ equipment can be a tricky thing - especially for beginner DJs. You don't want to go broke buying it, but you also don't want to get ripped off. This article is the first in a series that will walk you through the purchase of each kind of used equipment that you will need for your DJ setup.

Sorry to all of you digital or CD DJs, but this first guide is focused solely on buying used DJ turntables. Later articles in this series will address the newer types of DJ gear.

The Turntable:

So you've decided that you want to keep it old school and buy a turntable. I personally think that is a great decision. Despite what some people may claim - vinyl is not going anywhere. All the clubs out there today still sport two turntables inside the DJ booth.

The first thing that you need to be aware of when selecting a turntable is that there are two different types of turntable drives - belt drives and direct drive. These terms refer to the type of mechanism involved in making the platter (the part that holds the record) spin. Belt drives have a belt coming from the motor that connects to the platter. Direct Drive uses magnetic force so nothing is physically touching the platter. Avoiding any technical discussion, let's just say that as a rule; NEVER BUY BELT DRIVE TURNTABLES. Cheaper turntables have belt drives. You cannot properly cue a record or scratch with a belt drive. They are useless for DJing. So just be sure that you only consider direct drive turntables.

Now you need to move on to the next step - choosing your model. The industry leader of DJ turntables is the Technics 1200. This model has been around since the 1970's and is still the best known DJ turntable around. For a full discussion of why this is the best turntable in existence, check out my website where I review the Technics 1200. The link is in my bio.

Even though the 1200s are king, there are quite a few models making a bid for the throne. Numark and Gemini have both brought out some great new models. You can see their full reviews at the website in my bio.

The last thing to take into account is its appearance. Like any used electronics purchase, you are going to want to make sure that there are no obvious signs of damage. After that, check to make sure that the platter is spinning and that all the buttons work fine. Then check that the RCA wires coming from the deck are securely connected. Finally, fire up the turntable and set the speeds to "0.0" on 33 RPMs. The dots on the platter in the center should appear constant. If they are moving too much to one side or the other than the turntable will need to be tuned. This is not a big deal - you can get instructions on how to properly tune a turntable on my site.

So I hope this guide has helped you with the basics involved in buying a used dj turntable. Check out my website for more help with buying used dj gear.

Adam Miles has been DJing for over a decade and is interested in helping others learn more about becoming a DJ. Come stop by his website at http://www.djauctions.net to read more in depth tutorials, equipment reviews and to ask questions in the forum.

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