Thoughts on moving from a 1200G to Sota Saphire or above

IMO, a dead strobe bulb on an SP10 mk2 is no great loss and would not affect function. Also, by saying I thought the SME V is superior to the stock G tonearm I certainly did not mean to denigrate the latter. I am sure it’s very good too.

IMO, a dead strobe bulb on an SP10 mk2 is no great loss and would not affect speed accuracy or servo function , I don’t think but could be wrong. (A question for JP.) Also, by saying I thought the SME V is superior to the stock G tonearm I certainly did not mean to denigrate the latter. I am sure it’s very good too.

Yes, I agree, the 1200G arm is no slouch. If I wanted to upgrade I’ve learned of some nice arms to upgrade through this thread. In a previous post on this thread I mentioned having a AQ Earth IC on demo and would move it from the table to my phono preamp. It’s not an Earth but a Water IC. I also realized I had an AQ Sydney coming out of the table and not a McKenzie. I have a McKenzie going from the phono to the preamp. Anyhow, I replaced the Sydney with the Water and noticed a difference with one album side. Before I say conclusively it was the Water that moved the needle, I’m going to relisten to a couple of albums I played recently to see if there is a difference. I’ll share my findings later. 

KAB is a USA-based company who've generated quite a following with their SL1200 upgrades. Their are many threads here and on other forums with 1200 owners trading tips & experiences regarding which upgrades were most impactful.

This wave of excitement kind of died down when the G was introduced, as I believe a number of the enhancements were accounted for by Technics in the new build.

Definitely, because KAB upgrades are for cheap and old SL1200 mk2, mk3, mk5 and related popular models from the past. Those models cost no more than $300 secondhand and that was a price tag for decades. KAB never specialized in upgrades for high-end SP-10 mk2 or related models.

There is nothing to upgrade the reference turntable in SL1200 series, such as SL1200G with retail price nearly $4k.

For audiophiles an upgrade is always an option. Tonearm upgrade is an expensive upgrade, to beat new Technics tonearm you could pay more than new "G" turntable. If one thinks about different tonearms then SP-10R is much better for that needs, because the SL1200G was introduced as a complete turntable.    

Greetings. I have a fully modded 1200 mk ll with an SME 309 & a Hana ML cart.
I also have the 1210 GAE with the stock arm & a AT 150 MLX cart on that. Now both arms are in their own rite no slouches. In my system the Hana is a lil warmer sound then the AT. You can’t go wrong with the new Technics with the ease of adjustments. Both headshells are easy to swop out on my TT’s. Now I’m just curious if the SME would make a difference on the GAE.
I’m not that bored enough to find out rite now! Spend you money wisely, you can’t go wrong with the new Technics.