Well....no...not exactly. But I look at it like this:
In any collection, there must be a "top" and a "bottom" standard for the collection. That way, you can gauge where things stand in terms of completeness. It's simple, really.
For Jazzettes, I would put the "top" standard (for my standards, anyway) at a mahogany Jazzette that is in perfect condition with the original heads and original hardware. Does one even exist? Probably not. But, nevertheless, that would be the top standard.
Why, exactly is that? For me, it's because that's what most represents the conceptualized ideal of that model.
Next would probably be the black Cortex Jazzette (already pictured and documented in the VDG). I love that kit! I bid on it and lost to Dr. Mark Polis and then he ended up selling it to the present owner.
Then, I would include my 1969 Jazzette as one of the best, most original and complete examples. It's a real cherry.
And there are a few others out there that are really complete and original, too....but not many!
The idea is to take some of these "fabled" Jazzettes that are in perfect original shape, and turn them into photographs with some basic information that we can list in the VDG Jazzette section. Reading what they look like and how nice they are without pictures is kind of....well, let's just say it's not as good as if there were pictures!
Don't get me wrong. I, too, believe these kits are out there. Could they all be owned by people who don't own a computer? mmmmaybe, but unlikely. There have been enough years go by where collectors and drum forums and word of mouth and ads and auctions and friends of friends of friends who would have uncovered more than EIGHT of them by now.
That's the challenge. We know they must be out there. So, let's prove it and we can fatten up the Jazzette section with the proof. Party