Heckel bassoon serial number 5000

This is a used Heckel bassoon, serial number 5000. That is not just the series, it is literally the serial number! It has a unique moniker on the bell to show this. Originally purchased in 1911 by Wilhelm Knochenhauer, this instrument is a unique find with an amazing story. Our understanding is that Knochenhauer played this bassoon as the principal bassoonist of the Dresden from 1911 until his death in 1940. After WWII, his widow sent the bassoon to Philadelphia to Knochenhauer's favorite student, Max Adams, and he played it until 1960. Then Mary Drake purchased the bassoon and played it until she passed away in 2019. Bocal Majority recently acquired this bassoon and Nicholas Evans has done a full overhaul on it. Noteworthy things include: the repair to the cracked tenon of the top of the long joint, now done by Evans, high E-flat and E keys (offset for ease of reach), the brand new body lock, the WK lock, as well as the adjustable positioning ability of the WK. Contact Bocal Majority.