Heckeldex is an educational resource for bassoonists and Heckel enthusiasts. Due to the value Heckel bassoons, we will not publish any information regarding exact private ownership or location of any bassoon registered to Heckeldex. We will, however, publish information related to bassoon performance and pedagogical history. This includes bassoons used in orchestras worldwide, as well as the past owners of these instruments.

Our most frequently asked question is “Why are Heckels listed for sale with serial numbers blocked out in ‘XXXX’ format?” (e.g. 6XXX, or 82XX) The origin of blurring Heckel serial numbers began with online instrument sales in the 90’s. Sellers on bassoon forums such as bassoon.org posted instruments for sale to the public along with their home address, phone number, and personal email. Unfortunately, a handful of bassoons were stolen due to sellers giving away their personal information. Going forward, some forums required sellers to blur their instrument serial numbers to protect possibly compromised infromation.

Thankfully in 2025 there is no inherent danger to listing the serial number of a Heckel bassoon. As an extra precautionary measure, Heckeldex will not publish any information that suggests current ownership or exact location of a particular instrument. Some consigment websites still list instruments as “-XXX” to generate interest in bassoons of a particularly desirable serial number range. There is no other rational reason to conceal your bassoon's serial number.