Just how far away are the tuners? Is there going to be a factory run? I remember reading that the Empeg guys were looking into it, but I've been away from here for a bit. Any further on?

The factory run is unlikely, as it would require a minimum of 1000 units before they would even consider it.

The latest talk is that Patrick might design and sell kits using easy-to-solder through-hole components instead of SMT. If this happens, it's a couple months off at least.

This thread covers Patrick's kit.