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Heckelphone #3951

According to Edith Reiter's 2014 book, this instrument was completed on 11 February 1926 and originally sold to a buyer in an unknown location.

Howe & Hurd (2004) describe heckelphone #3951 as a model 36i, tuned at A=440; it appears to be one of the first instruments with the three-hole bell design, a perforated bottom plate and a central floor peg. In 2004, this heckelphone has been modified to a model 36 voll cons.

As of 2020, heckelphone #3951 has been reported to be located in Las Vegas (NV), USA, owned by collector Greg Smith. Previously, it was owned by Peter Hurd of Seattle (WA), USA; by collector and bass player Frederick R. (Eric) Selch, New York (NY); and by oboist and collector Richard Abel. It was sold at Sotheby's in New York (NY) in 1985. The earlier history of heckelphone #3951 remains unclear.


Many thanks to Peter Hurd for providing some of the information shown on this page. To provide further details on the history of this instrument, please contact me at heckelphone@gmx.net.