at the hampton show i spoke to ernie floyd, the owner of tin lizzie and he told me that he is now producing the machine part of the janome (definitely), and one other major brand. i wish i could tell you which one. my memory is crap. i think it was pfaff.
he himself has introduced a new machine called empress, a long arm, 26" , without the bells and whistles, but digitized.
his largest market was the no-bells-and-whistles quilter within a certain price, so he's offering it again only with a longer throat. i don't know the price. the cost will be whatever the dealer gives you.
for anyone interested there's a new dealer in trenton, new jersey. the store is called 'above and beyond'.