If you would like to browse a group of serial numbers, there are a few ways to go about doing so.

Basic Search: Type the beginning of the group of numbers you want to see. For example, searching "6" will show you every single Heckel bassoon that has a serial number starting with 6, and typing "65" will show you all of the ones that have a serial number starting with a 65 in them.

Advanced Search. You can use X to represent any digit in your search to show multiple serial numbers. For example, searching "6XXX" will show all Heckel bassoons that have a 4 digit serial number beginning with 6. You can also search "X5XX", which will show all 4 digit serial numbers with a 5 as the second number. This means "X5XXX" will show all 5 digit serial numbers with a 5 as the second number, rather than 4.

Heckeldex uses serial number tables sourced from Edith Reiter's 'Wilhelm Heckel, Six Generations Dedicated to Music' and other factory logs to determine what bassoons made it into circulation, and which ones did not. Our records are only current through the early 16XXX's, so new instruments may require manual entry into the database.

Yes. Actually, bassoons with no data are filtered out by default, but you can switch the toggle at the top of the page that says "show all bassoons", and that will turn off the filter and show all data, even serial numbers with no known data

The Heckeldex is an educational resource for bassoonists, hobbyists, and other interested viewers. Due to the value of each Heckel here, we will not under any circumstances publish any information regarding the sale history or location of any bassoon registered in the Heckeldex. This is to protect the privacy and safety of each bassoon and its owner. We will, however, list information surrounding bassoon performance and pedagogical history. This includes instruments that have been used in notable orchestras across the world, and instruments formerly owned by notable teachers and performers.

Our most frequently asked question is “Why do you often see Heckels listed for sale with serial numbers blocked out in ‘XXXX’ format?” (e.g. 6XXX, or 1213X). The destination of blurring out Heckel serial numbers is unknown, but it stems directly from online instrument sales in the late 90’s. Sellers on bassoon forums would post instruments for sale publicly while also including their home address, personal email, and other contact information. This was an era where not everyone had an email address, and some people still preferred to write physical letters with which to contact sellers. Unfortunately, a number of bassoons were stolen as a result of sellers giving away their personal information to strangers. Going forward, some forums required sellers to blur out their instruments' serial numbers to protect information which may have already been leaked.

Today, fortunately, publishing your personal instrument’s serial number is certifiably safe, and can not be traced to you in any capacity. As an extra precautionary measure, the Heckeldex still will not publish any information that suggests the current ownership or location of a particular instrument. Some consigners still prefer to list instruments simply as “-XXX” instruments to generate interest in bassoons of a particularly desirable serial number range.