I had quite a few of these. . . A crimson red, a natural, a black one and a sunburst one.
The very early ones had different preamps and pickups, and were not very well regarded (although I never saw any very early lefties; I think that lefties came in the second generation of this model). The red and the natural that I had, had the newer preamp and pickups, but as you mention, the fret work was horrific and the necks were really thick, like a baseball bat. Still comfortable, but thick -- and they were a bit heavier. When they introduced the Montego Black color, they were already the newer models and the fret work was good, and the necks had a more normal contour and thickness. My last one was a sunburst from right before they discontinued them, and that one was really good. Perfect frets and super light. The Montego Black that I had was my main bass for awhile.
They sound great, although some people don't like the Fender noiseless pickups, I thought they sounded just fine. Maybe not as much bite and growl as a good vintage-spec pickup, but perfectly usable.
My main grip with these basses and the reason I sold them all is the body shape. They are a bit smaller than a regular Jazz, and they have 22 frets. The upper horn is not a long as a typical Jazz, so the reach to the first position feels long -- something that I hate. Guys that play Warwick or Spector would feel right at home with this bass, though.
At any rate, these basses are well worth $1000 if you ask me. Get it for $700-$800, and that's a deal. I still prefer the current MIA Jazzes (which play and sound terrific) but if you want 22 frets and active, you can't go wrong with these Deluxes. A Carvin JB would be comparable and will cost more than $1000, and a Warmoth built will also be more than $1000. Another alternative to these is to get a current MIA Jazz and stick an Audere preamp in it.
I still have some pics:
