Well, I'm a brand new beginner in western flute. I've been playing the piano for years, and am now trying to play the chinese flute (dizi). I would like to give a try with western flute, but don't intend to invest much in it.
I read on an old thread that Selmer flutes were not bad, not to be confused with Selman !
On French Ebay (I'm French...), there's a store selling very cheap Selmer (and not Selman) Prelude flutes :

http://cgi.ebay.fr/FLUTE-PRELUDE-BY-CONN-SELMER-AVEC-ETUI_W0QQitemZ230111544990QQihZ013QQcategoryZ104539QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I found this on Selmer website too :

http://www.selmer.com/content/subcategory.php?subcategory=Selmer%20Prelude%20Flute

What do you think about it ? Any info on Selmer flutes ? It seems tat their Prelude sax. are good for beginners, but I'm unable to find anything about the flutes.

Thank you for your help.

Selmer flutes are acceptable beginner's (and in some cases, intermediate) instruments. The Prelude line is just about as cheap as you can go without getting taken, but if that's all you can afford (or want to spend) a Prelude should be able to get you through learning the basics of the flute, and if you find that it suits you, you can always upgrade in the future.

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Perhaps I should also note that you should have any potential purchases checked out by a tech to be sure they're in good order. Most new flutes need some basic setup to play properly, and many used instruments need some repair/maintainance work done on them. There are many other makes of student flutes to consider as well, such as:

Yamaha
Emerson
Gemeinhardt
Jupiter
Pearl
Trevor James

If you're just starting out, you should also find a flute teacher. Even if you don't stick with lessons, it's important that you learn the basics properly, as poor hand position or the like can not only hold you back....It can actually cause serious physical problems that can affect your flute playing and other parts of your life. Learning the basics correctly will help to prevent this.

Thanks very much for your answer.
I know about usual brands for beginners, but I don't want to invest in a new (say Yamaha for example) flute, as I don't know if I will keep on with the western flute.
Neither will I buy a used flute, it might mean alot of trouble and money...
(BTW a new very high quality concert dizi - chinese side blown flute - is $90, if you know where to buy).
So I think I will keep with the Selmer Prelude, to get an idea if I like it or not, because on the other hand I don't want to get a false idea of what a flute sounds like just because I bought an unknown brand on Ebay which is very uneasy or impossible to play. But I'm able to tune an instrument on myself.
In first intention, I don't intend to get a teacher, because I have a bad opinion about them, having taken piano courses as an adult. Teaching (I'm talking about France) is not suited for adult players : to much focusing on technique, and no attention to the pleasure of playing. When I began piano, I was a child, and it's normal to focus on technique. But when you're 40, you do not intend to become a professional player, just to have pleasure playing. And French teachers don't understand this.
I'm aware that I could get bad habits, but I prefer to try by myself, and thereafter perhaps get a teacher if I want to progress, than beginning with a teacher who will discourage me.
Perhaps you will think differently, but it's my experience with music teaching...

Anyways thanks again for your anwer.

PS : of course if I intend to keep on western flute, I will buy a more "decent" instrument. At this time my only purpose is what is the minimum to get an idea about the flute with minimum investment and not falling into "toys" and unplayable flutes...

It sounds like you've got a pretty good idea of what you want to do, then, which is great. For your particular situation, the Preludes sound like they should be about right. I really do encourage you to reconsider your feelings about teachers, though. I understand perfectly why you would not want to focus on things that you don't think are important, but the bare basics (hand position and flute support, articulation, proper embouchure formation, etc.) should really be learned by a teacher. Very serious problems can develop if you spend too much time playing a flute improperly, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, TMJ, etc. These can affect other parts of your life (aside from flute playing) quite seriously, and few lessons at the beginning (just enough to learn the basics, but not enough to become discouraged) can be all it takes to avoid this.

You know, I might get blasted by other members on the forum for this, but I really like the First Act flutes when they are well adjusted. So far I have gotten in a few and after I made the proper adjustments to them I have been impressed. The headjoint design on them is particularly good. Now I haven't had one long enough to evaluate how long it will hold up in compared to other brands such as Yamaha, but I have been tinkering with one for a few months now and so far so good. that may be a cheap flute to think about. I usually have a few that I sell really cheap if you need one too

Well, I finally bought and received this Selmer Prelude flute.
It looks a bit like "I'll fall into parts if you don't look at me kind enough". But perhaps all western flutes are fragile.
And anyways, no need to maltreat it.
Otherwise, as a beginner, it seems to be in tune, and all keys are working...

I will agree with both Chris and Kara.

As far as I'm concerned (my opinion only) Selmer flutes are very much relegated to "student flutes" --- and Chris provided you with a list of "good" flutes to choose from.

Although, I take issue with "Gemmies".

Kara brought up "First Act Flutes". I'm not familiar with that make --- but you should consider her opinion on this matter. She has, after all, tested and played them, so she would know.

But take Chris' and Kara's advice.

Regards, Jim Millen

The Prelude line by Selmer was created so that that would have an inexpensive flute along the lines of the First Act flutes. They are foreign made, and are of similar quality. They were not made for music store rental inventory (although there are probably some store that use them). They were designed to have another offering besides First Act, which was the main leader in the inexpensive flute market. They are of similar quality.

Joe B