i found my way 'round whistles all right, now it’s time for a flute 
how many conical flutes are there? and who makes them?
3,876,298,154,796,021 But that’s not including the ones on eBay.
Who makes them? There are as many flute makers as there are whistle makers (probably).
That Dixon’s a good starter flute. So are Ralph Sweet’s flutes and Casey Burn’s folk flute (maybe the best deal in the whole bunch). It’s best if you can try before you buy, but if you’re like me - you just have to wing it. I think any of the three I’ve mentioned will get you a good flute, and all will take a return if you feel the flute is unplayable (although if your new it’s good to get a flute players opinion before returning the flute).
As for how many makers are there…well, a bunch these days.
Eric
I’ve played all the flutes Jayhawk mentions; I’m pretty sure he’s referring to Dixon’s conical 3-piece flute (which is a good one); the cylindrical one is not very good. Sweethearts can be good, but they’re not as consistent as one might hope, so unless you can try before you buy, I wouldn’t make a strong recommendation for them. I think the Burns folk flute is hands down the best of the lot (and a terrific value at $250, and virtually no wait). Starting at around $500 or so, you’ll find a myriad makers, designs, and prices (and lovely waiting lists). I think you’ll be best off starting with the Burns folk flute; once you’re more experienced, you can decide what qualities you value in a flute and shop accordingly.
Tintin - your very right I was refering to the conical 3 piece Dixon. I think a post has been deleted that had a picture of the conical Dixon - that’s why I wrote “that Dixon” because there used to be a picture in the post that was prior to mine (which is gone).
Those cylindrical Dixons are a real bear to get a good tone out of.
Eric
The Casey Burns Folk Flute is a very good choice for a first flute. I made that choice and have been very happy (until it broke. WHAAAH!) The price is only 250, which is about as low as you can get.
Check it out: http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/ff.php
Max
How did it break? Mopane is a very sturdy wood…
My own laziness and stupidity. See this thread for details:
I have told Lixnaw ( ! ) about the almost giveaway Sweet rosewood Tsunami flute.
£ 120 is nothing to a Dutchmaniac ! ( started as a typing error then thaughts of lapsed whistler took over ! )
Andrew - that would be a great deal for Lixnaw. And it has even received the benediction of Wilkes!
Eric
This is a substantial saving on a flute
that is, IMO, better than the others
we’ve mentioned–no surprise because
it’s considerably more expensive, but
not from Andrew. It’s cheaper than
the others! and his is like new.
i posted a picture of the dixon all right, but after a good listen, i didn’t like the sound.
the sweet rosewood sure is a bargain, and it’s like new, but i’ll go for a seery polymer, i really love that sound, and it’s easy to fill too. i’ll look around for a second hand one.
yes, i’m surrounded here by dutch maniacs, i even talk there language sometimes 
but with a kerry accent.
thanks for the offers anyway
Eh, what??
Homeless Sumatrans probably prefer Seery polymers themselves, if the truth were known !
If you are looking to spend less than $100 for a Flute (not conical but it is great anyway) get one of Doug Tipple’s he sells them on ebay and he has a website which I don’t know the address to he is a member of this fourm also he might post something with his site address…
I’m with Henke – why post a request if you’re gonna (publicly) make up your mind 9 hours later, choosing a flute that hasn’t even been mentioned in response to your question?
That said, I think the Seery is a wonderful flute; for flutes under 500 dollars/400 euro I’d put it not too far behind the Bleazey Rudall-style, a little behind the M&E R&R. FYI, Seery’s wait for a polymer is negligible, and his flutes aren’t as discounted in the second-hand market as some.
why don’t you sell her on ebay, at least you’ll get a good price there.
btw:i’ve donated this month for the tsunami victims and i’ll do it next month also.
did you ever change your mind? well i won’t change mine again about that seery flute.
i thanked the people that offered there help.
lixnaw. I don’t really understand why you would decide on a Seery based on sound clips alone. I’m under the impression that it is not as suitable a starter flute as many of the other alternatives here, especially Andrew’s Sweet. The Seery is a Pratten style flute with very large tone holes. It might be alright as a starter flute, but It’ll probably not be nearly as easy to play as most flutes, it might take quite little air compaired to other Prattens but it’ll certainly be much harder to fill than most other flutes. And as chas said it’s strange to post a question here and then imideately decide to buy something that no one has suggested as a suitable flute for you. Did you choose to buy an 400 horse power sports car as your first car to learn to drive in when you had the oportunity to get the nicest looking car on the block that was easy to drive and would grow with you for decades for significantly less based on the sound of the gear changes? Really, soundclips won’t tell you much about the flute.
I can’t really follow your way of thinking here dude.