Interesting thread. Nice to see some people care about other`s difficulties or issues, even if things get scrambled in the process. All the rest has been said. Strat man Dwight - strategies for musicians ... frame your mind.

Phew, i thought i was dyslexic!
Thanx Meme.
I`m still waiting to find someone that can follow me to the music shops and test flutes.

I play on a student still. It`s great to learn on b/c believe it or not it`s made to teach you how to play..more than a pro one is

Well interesting reading the comments on second hand flutes and the spelling
I have no knowledge of flutes but need to buy one for my 9 yr old Daughter who has decided to move from the recorder.
I am mindful of the pitfalls you describe of the second hand market, especially for a none flutist as myself.
Will by a new Trevor James TJ10X - got a quote for £271 which sounds reasonable. Please reply soon if you think this is a big mistake.
Thanks. John.

If you are still learning, the headjoint is the most importanat part for you. I`d suggest a silver head and a silver plated body. Try out different head joints and see which one you get the best sound out of. Once you find out what kind of shape whole gives you the best reponse, you then want to see how it does in it`s temper. Not like a ill tempered child, but how well the octaves are tuned. You will want one that stays in tune between the octaves. Some flutes respond differently to different people (different shaped mouths, teeth allignments, lips, direction the air comes out of your mouth etc. I wouldn`t think you would want to pay the price of a pro flute until you`ve worked out the kinks with a high end student or an intermediate model. Pro flutes really have quite a range of design depending on what you want out of it. You won`t be able to know what you want until you`ve mastered the basics. You might find after you`ve improved your technique, that the pro flute you picked out doesn`t do what you intended.