I've had my JTV69 for almost 5 years now. I like to play in alternate tunings so for me it was worth the price of admission. I still am not a big fan of the neck (it is too chunky) and almost sent it back when I got it. Over time I've adapted to it, but the functionality of the guitar, means I can bring one guitar to a gig and get alternate tunings, acoustic, resonator and other models. Normally I would bring 5. Would I replace it if anything happened to it? Heck yeah, my custom strat and other guitars are played rarely only because I can't put the JTV down.
The problem with the 700's is if your battery goes dead onstage you are effectively left with a canoe paddle. That's why they added the pickups to the JTV.