Heckel Bassoon Information

Last update: 05/13/2016

Documents

I have obtained some documents that Heckel used for customer correspondence during the 1975 time frame. Several of these documents had been used for years.

• A document showing the intonation tendencies of Heckel bassoons; serial 11176 was used to produce this chart.
• A line drawing of the two models of Heckel bassoons offered in 1975: the 41i and 41p.
• An order form for a Heckel bassoon in 1975; this was a working order form for 12262. The handwritten figures were the translation of Deutsch Marks to dollars at the time.
• The most blessed event; the letter that you receive informing you that your new Heckel bassoon is nearly completed. Time to warn your banker!

Options

In the past, Heckel offered a wide array of models of bassoons. At the time of Heckel's 100 year anniversary (1931) the Heckel catalog listed 25 models of the Heckel bassoon--including the model 41met which had a metal body! This model was reportedly produced for tropical climates. Keywork options were offered by way of these different models.

The model number 41 has always been used for the German system bassoons, while the model number 42 was the designation for the World System keywork (left hand French system, right hand German system).

Currently, Heckel produces only one model of the Heckel bassoon, the 41i. Click here to see the standard catalog options offered for a new Heckel bassoon.

Notes

Instrument identification

Serial Numbers

The Heckel firm was founded in 1831; however it was 1877 before they began stamping serial numbers on their bassoons. The first serial number stamped was 3000.

Heckel bassoon serial numbers are assigned when the wood for the instrument is chosen for construction. After the serial number is assigned the wood is cured for at least 12 years. This can cause variations in serial number/year progression; it is possible to have a lower serial number shipped after a higher serial number has shipped.

Heckel bassoon serial numbers are not continuous. There are known gaps in the serial numbers. The reason for these gaps is not always known even by the factory. For example, according to company sources:

...we can confirm that there are no instruments [bassoons] from [serial numbers] 11389 to 11501 ever built; maybe we had a design change during that time.

Manufacturing Mark

Heckel bassoons also have a manufacturing mark. The manufacturing mark is a number which is used to keep the all of the parts of a bassoon grouped together during the production process. This number can be found (in Arabic form) under the boot cap following the serial number on newer bassoons; it can also be found in Roman numeral form inscribed on the underside of the keys of a bassoon. It can also be found by a series of small pin holes, or dots punched in the surface of the wood joints. These dots are typically found under keys so that they cannot be seen when the instrument is assembled.

This web page uses the convention serial/manufacturing mark, e.g., serial number 7273, manufacturing mark 2 will be shown as 7273/2. This number is sometimes erroneously referred to as a desk number or a bench mark. The manufacturing mark does not connect a specific instrument with a specific builder or build desk in any way; according to factory sources, this number was only used to keep the separate pieces of the instrument together during the construction process.

Construction Changes Through History

Rubber bore liner

The hard rubber liner was introduced and patented by Wilhelm Heckel in 1889.

Flat Back Long Joint

In the late 4000s Heckel changed from building flat back long joints to the current round cross-section shape. You can clearly see a flat back long joint on bassoon 4822. The back of the long joint is built with a plateau, similar to what is still made for the wing C# key.

Long Bore/Short Bore

During 1922 (around serial number 5711) Heckel changed from building small bore bassoons to the wide bore bassoon. In order to accomidate this change, the wing, boot and long joint have shorter tube lengths. In America the wide bore instruments are frequently referred to as short bore bassoons. Before serial number 5711 (1922) only small bore bassoons were built; between serial numbers 5711 and 7700 (1935) both types were built and after serial number 7700 typically only the wide bore was built.

Thick Wall Construction

In 1963 (around serial number 10700) Heckel began making the walls of the bassoon thicker. The standard story explaining the reason for this changes was that the thinner walled instruments tended to crack too easily, especially in the long joint tenons and the top of the boot joint. Very recently (the 15000 series) there is evidence that the wall thickness of the bassoons has been further increased.

Ivory Bell Ring

Real ivory was used for the ivory bell ring until the 13000 series. From that point on, a very good imitation made of plastic has been used. According to recent reports, Heckel has once again begun using real ivory for the bell rings due to successful African animal management programs. However, new bassoons sent to the US will continue to have plastic rings due to continued US ivory importation laws.

Low D Key Guard

The shape of Low D key guard has changed over time. Originally, the Low D key guard was a half cap over the lower half of the Low D key cup as on 3050. By the time of the manufacture of 3221, the guard had changed to a metal rim as seen on 3221. Later the guard changed to a bar similar to the modern Bb key guard on the back of the boot joint as on 6126. During the 6000 series the Low D key guard became the shape that it continues to have today.

Back Ab Key

Heckel bassoons until 7400 had the back Ab key as a separate tone hole on the back of the boot as seen on 7250. After 7400 the default mechanism for the back Ab key was to operate the front Ab key via a connecting rod through the boot joint. The back Ab key as a separate tone hole is still available as option 107.

Low G Key

The Low G key was originally connected from front to back by a keywork mechanism that wrapped around the boot joint, as seen on 3221. This permanently changed between 4210 and 4230 to the modern method of connection by pressing a rod that passes directly through the boot joint.

Variations

The following is an explanation of some of the typical variations you may find in instrument descriptions:

World System

You will notice some instruments listed as World System, French left hand, Muccetti system (after Enzo Muccetti) or Pezzi system. These were all attempts to blend the French bassoon key system (Boehm) with the German (Heckel) system. Typically this was done by building the left hand with the French key system and the right hand with the German key system, although the centennial 1931 Heckel catalog does contain some models that have right hand Boehm system keywork (models 41u, 41v, 41ur and 41vl).

Bell Shape

Heckel builds bassoons with what the factory calls three different styles of bells; German, French and Italian bells (factory options 72, 72a and 72b respectively). This indicates only the external shape of the bell. This terminology should not be confused with the type of bell ring; a Heckel bassoon with a metal bell ring does not indicate a French bell; it is not uncommon to see a German bell with a metal bell ring. The French bell has a significantly different external shape, as can be seen in this picture of 15208 (this instrument also has a divided long joint). I have been told by Roger Birnstingl that the Italian bell (also know as the Muccetti bell) has the same bore as a normal bell but has very thin walls and very little bulge. It is also quite a bit lighter, weighing in at around 250 grams versus the 300 grams of a typical German bell.

Gentlemen's Model

Some instruments are listed as a Gentlemen's model, or having a divided long joint. These instruments have a joint lower on the top of the long joint (between the Low B and C keys) which allows the instrument to be taken apart into sections which are more similar in length. Typically there is still a normal bell joint (option 85); however, there is an option to have only the joint between the Low B and C keys (option 85a).

Notes about the instrument table

• Several instrument have notations indicating that they were mentioned/used in the James Burton book. This is a reference to James L. Burton's "Bassoon Bore Dimensions " D.M.A. dissertation, Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, May 1975. Some instruments also note their use in Mr. Burton's article Graphing the Bassoon Bore in the publication The Journal of the International Double Reed Society, Number 3, 1975.
• The production dates have been removed from the table because of the publication and wide availability of the book Wilhelm Heckel, Six Generations Dedicated To Music, by Edith Reiter, Waldemar Kramer in der marixverlag GmbH, Wiesbaden 2014. This book contains the definitive answers to when a Heckel instrument was shipped.
• The information given at the end of each series (group of 1000 serial numbers) of Heckel bassons are determined as follows; the listed number is the number of that series listed on the page, the series span and total produced numbers are roughly derived from the Heckel book.

Heckel Bassoon Serial Numbers

For your convenience, you may use the following hyperlinks to jump directly to a specific Heckel bassoon series: