Heckelphone SN 3985 EXCELLENT
Here is Heckelphone #3985. Of the 189 Heckelphones ever produced, at least 3 have been destroyed, likely more, and while Heckel will make you another one in theory, in practice it is impossible. And yet, major orchestral works such as the Alpine Symphony and the operas Elektra and Salome have important parts for this instrument. They come up for sale very infrequently and are hunted to extinction.
This Heckelphone is in excellent condition and has been serviced in our shop. Plays very well and is ready for Strauss. Includes three original Heckel bocals and a variety of reeds.
Provenance: The Robert Howe collection. Dr. Robert Howe is a well known researcher and historian of woodwind instruments and spent a lifetime collecting rare and unique instruments. We are privileged to offer instruments from this collection for sale.
Please feel free to email with any additional questions!
PLEASE NOTE: The website heckelbassoons.info incorrectly lists this instrument as being in high pitch. The heckelphone.org website has the following entry on this instrument:
According to Edith Reiter's 2014 book, this instrument was completed on 25 September 1926 and originally sold to a buyer in an unknown location.
Howe & Hurd (2004) describe heckelphone #3985 as a model 36i, tuned at A=440;
As of 2004, heckelphone #3985 has been reported to be located in Wilbraham (MA), USA, owned by Robert Howe. Previously, it belonged to the George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville (TN), now the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. It has been used in Nashville and Cleveland orchestras.
The earlier history of heckelphone #3985 remains largely unclear.
Since the Howe mentioned in this citation is the former owner of the instrument, this citation should be considered definitive.
We want you to be happy and satisfied with your purchase, and we offer an unconditional 30 day return policy. If you are unhappy with your item for any reason, just return it for a full refund or full credit towards an exchange. (Reeds and other consumables are non-returnable once opened.)
We warranty every item we sell to be free of mechanical defects. If you find an issue with your purchase, please contact us. We will either reimburse you to have any minor repairs completed by your local repair shop, or we will send you a label to cover all return postage charges so that we can either repair your instrument, exchange your instrument, or issue you a refund for your instrument. We stand behind our products, and we truly want you to be happy.
Please note that if you simply change your mind about purchase of an item - if you find that it's just not the one for you - you are still entitled to a full refund. We never charge a restocking fee; however, you will be responsible for the expense involved in shipping the item back to us. We will issue your refund directly upon receipt of the item, no questions asked.