i don't think there are any more issues with the JB3 than with DAT personally. my reasons for recommending the JB3 over DAT for a beginner are as follows:
1) cost (both initially and ongoing with tape)
2) ease of use (no 7-pin/ active- passive issues/ learning to check the D8 for misload/ 60- 90M issues, etc.)
3) storage capabilities (record a whole run/ festival etc.)
4) Transfer benefits (Firewire solves so many issues/ no soundcard needed/ no buffer underruns/ SPEED!)
that being said, i probably wouldn't recommend this to someone looking to go analog in to the unit. for a patcher/ digital recorder, i personally think it's fine. if someone experiences a dropped bit here or there, what's the big deal? just because DAT has error correction doesn't mean it ALWAYS does it properly.
if we're going to worry about dropped bits in the JB3, then we better start worrying what all these people are using for DAT to HD transfer. as a whole, i would imagine many more dropped bits/ artifacts are introduced there than through the use of all JB3s combined.
anyway, these are my reasons for recommending the JB3 to a Newb over DAT. YMMV.
~S