Rented a violin for my just turned four year old child here. His violin teacher told me what to pick and so we did the order online and it was ready the next day! The price to rent it is really affordable and the violin was in great condition. read more

Wonderful shop located in Rice Village. Grace is very knowledgeable and helpful with general issues. I was able to get my 20 year old violin refurbished for a very reasonable price. I recently purchased a violin from Lisle and Cameron was super patient. I checked out two violins for a week at a time so that I could properly determine if they were a good fit. They have a shop onsite and they are able to fix most issues that you will come across. My diagnosis: a wonderful string shop with super knowledgeable and helpful employees. Highly recommended! read more

Good luthiers. Friendly staff very knowledgeable of violins. I was interested in pirraza gold and the had them with an olive gold e string. Expensive but sound was great. read more

Several years ago, my bow came up missing after a time when a select orchestra came to town. Before filing a police report from home, I went looking all over the city back tracking my steps. The Lisle Shop had 2 bows and one of them was the splitting image of mine. With this assumption was the exact size of mine based on the inch to 1/2 inch of length not the same. Someone had cut the hair off and I had to pay for the hair to be replaced. Grateful. Strings and things, Kim Note: I had not long ago gotten my bow out of another shop for the tip needing to be replaced. read more

Grace Po at Lisle is incredible, as are the rest of their staff. The instruments here come to your student well set up, and everyone is knowledgeable and kind. read more

1 Cello (check) Bow (check) Case (check) Rosin (check) Essential Elements 2000 Book 1 for cello (check) Grab the Cello and Run ..(chec.. kidding) So I finally stopped by this place after a lot of recommendations some by fellow yelpers (Thanks to Gretchen and Gilberto V. / Nancy) and few instructors I contacted. Tiny store with a lot of violins but I was just interested in a cello. I called the store (head quarters) in Pasadena before my visit to the Houston location to make sure they get my cello delivered. Luckily they had a 4/4 at Houston location, which worked perfectly. The lady on the other line was nice enough to put a hold on it for me. The paper work was fairly easy. I was quickly set up to rent. My only complaint is that no one knew quite enough about celli, most of the workers there were violinist so most of my questions were unanswered. Also, I was told that I can find a list of instructors at this store, I called few of them on the list but their number has been disconnected. I think it would be nice if they update the list more often. Over all, I was well taken care of even with little knowledge of cello they had. As for the prices, they are fairly reasonable. I rented mine for $ 40 / month. The violins go somewhere between $ 15 - and up per month. My instrument came with all the goodies (rosin, bow, book etc). Also, do check their rental program. It's pretty neat. The rental contract includes a provision for 100% credit to purchase. Make some space Houston, the next Pablo Casals.. coming through .. I kinda feel sorry for my neighbors though. read more

Lisle Violin Shop - My Cello :) - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Houston, Texas

Dunno about what the shop sells or how good their selection/tuning services are. Just reviewing their customer service-- which frankly is awful. I read about the reviews for some of the staff but apparently they are cool to locals and not many others. Needed to get some stickers for my new violin for the fingerboard, and I know this sounds odd, but it was crazy time sensitive. I told the person on the phone that I was staying at a hotel a half mile away and that I was walking. I got to the store at 6:02pm and despite the fact that there were at least two people in the store no one even bothered to look up when I knocked. At least gave the courtesy to tell a customer, sorry we're closed! SBA can afford to not have folks buy I guess. I'll just order the tapes from Amazon and get it sent to me overnight I guess. ‍ read more

Awesome job and prices! The service is top notch here and good advice from fellow violinists.

I took in a violin on a Thursday to be checked out to see what was needed. It's for a first time student and the staff was very helpful and I didn't feel like they tried to sell me on more than was needed. I was told the repairs would take a week but called in later because I realized I needed the violin by the next Tuesday. They assured me it would be ready and to my surprise they had it ready by that Saturday. Way in advance of what I expected. The customer service was great and we will definitely be back. read more

This location blows the Pasadena one out of the water. I had gone to the Lisles in Pasadena to get fitted to my violin. I'm an adult beginner and was dealing with a LOT of neck pain so I wanted to get the chin and shoulder rests adjusted to alleviate some pain. I'm new to all of this so I trusted the lisles in Pasadena who put on a 1/4 size chin rest - which they exchanged for my personal one. They don't have parts in store (other than a few shoulder rests). So they had to switch it off a different violin in-store - which they did in the back. After a few days and more pain my teacher told me to go to the Bissonnet location. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The Lisles / Bissonnet location had bins of chin rests to choose from, knowledgeable and friendly staff, and took their time to properly fit me. I will make the 45 minute drive to west Houston just so that I can have the pleasure of dealing with these people. They were really great. My neck pain is virtually gone now that I've been fitted properly. I will be going I tomorrow to get my upgrade violin refitted and a tailpiece replaced. Can't wait :) read more

We needed to get our grandson's violin set up and this store was highly recommended. I know why! Mark at the Bissonnet store was super friendly and set it up for free!!! They will get all our future business! read more

I went into the Lisle Violin shop yesterday for the first time and I was very impressed. I have my first violin lesson tomorrow and Mark helped me restring my violin, inspected it, cut down the bridge, cleaned my violin, and tuned it! I got all this, rosin, and a cleaning cloth for around $60. They were very helpful and friendly. Will definitely be coming back! read more

This was a quick stop, but first impressions are important. My wife needed her violin bow re-haired; we think that bow bugs got to it (she hadn't played for about 9 months). The shop looks so legit inside - violins everywhere with a window into the backroom work area where repairs were going down. There was an asian man with those little glasses that only violin workshop elves use. It smelled like whatever a violin shop should smell like. They turned a broken and old violin into a letter holder on their door. I'm not sure if it was a family owned shop, but I definitely got clues that it was. The lady that helped us out with nice and straightforward with my wife. Cost to rehair would be about $30. And a new bow of the same composition would be about the same. We asked about private instructors. They had a nice list with locations and phone numbers. I browsed the cases quickly while I was waiting and saw very reasonable prices in the used section. We'll be back if there's ever a need. read more

Very friendly and knowledgeable people. They have an excellent luthier shop for orchestral string instruments!

Very knowledgeable staff. Many think this is mainly a "student" business but as a professional violinist, I've brought my violin in for several repairs and have had my bows rehaired here frequently. The workmanship is always top-notch and at an excellent price. They have three locations. The original Pasadena store has its own parking lot. read more

We've rented violins from Lisle for over six years now. Their prices are reasonable and customer service is the best. We see the manager, Grace, every time we need to visit the store and she's awesome to work with! Grace is extremely knowledgeable, professional and courteous. Thank you, Grace!! We appreciate you!! read more

I've stopped in here for new strings a few times, and they've usually had what I needed. Service was a bit surly, but that's not uncommon in my violin shop experience. You can rent stringed instruments here for school classes at pretty reasonable rates. You can also, of course, buy violins here, but that process is far beyond the scope of a Yelp review. Other offerings include violin repair (including bow rehairing) and the usual violin accessories (some music, I believe, and rosin, varnish, shoulder rests, etc.). It's convenient if you're in West U, but the hours made it difficult for me to catch them most days. The shop is kind of cramped, but...it's here. read more

I love this place. Always pick up their phone. Awesome! The staff is very polite, no pressure, and answers all my questions. They helped me find a groupie, a teacher, books... They fix, rent, polish, sell parts, whole violin, viola...all accessories... Parking is bad but it is not their fault blame the city. read more

This shop is for elementary students only. I was recommended by International Violins for adjustments on my fine viola - that the luthier was the best in TX - do not bring your instrument here- the owner made it much worse, charged big, and did not like that I was unhappy - words can not describe the lack of quality and skill. #timesup lisele read more

Excellent service. I came to get my strings replaced and it was done extremely quick, no extra questions or offers. Prices are as expected and I got it strung for me as well free of charge. read more

Ah, Lisle Violin Shop. Although they are definitely targeted more towards students and fractional sized instruments, I have nothing but praise for their shop. They have a great rental plan and a generous rental credit offer that is better than most other places that rent (I've looked at the rental policies of about twenty shops since then and none of them compare). Also, there are many times when I stopped in and got attention about minor repairs, advice about strings to choose, etc in which no money was exchanged (or in which I was buying for my main instrument which was NOT from LVS). They also shipped me a different rental for free after I moved away from Houston (even stopping to call me and ask if I needed a shoulder rest)! For adults/people who can handle full-sized or nearly full-sized instruments, I would strongly recommend buying a good bow to go along with your inexpensive rental, either from Lisle (they discount heftily because they don't offer bow financing) or another shop. The Glasser fiberglass bows that come with their rentals are just unplayable (you can also rent a better bow from them for a few bucks more). Moreover, it's better cost wise to have a cheap instrument and a good bow, so the money you save by renting can go towards that (if you really want to improve your playing before you buy an instrument). The two instruments I've had from them had superb tone for their value (worth less than the first violin I had). My only misgiving is that the shop isn't comprehensive--they offer trade-ins but after a certain level it's probably wiser to go somewhere else. (If you look on their website, they ask you to "Call to inquire") around the $2000 range for violins, whereas most other places don't do that until $25,000 or more. Also, this may not be fair because they do take instruments on consignment and they don't put their full stock online--but in any case there are fewer selections for high-end instruments than in a regular shop. Anyway, I will continue to recommend Lisle to all the New Englanders I see and patronize their shop from a distance. I highly recommend renting from them rather than buying one of those ghastly ebay setups that are painted purple and pink. Your rental may be used and look like a cow chewed on it, but it *has* been checked and it *will* sound good. read more

This is a follow up review. Lisle has completed several excellent repairs for us in recent weeks. First, I brought an inexpensive violin and bow owned by my son's school to Lisle for repairs. They did a great job in less than 2 weeks time. Price was extremely reasonable. We've purchased a new shoulder and chin rest for my son's fiddle. And they re-haired his bow in a 2 day time frame - really good job on the bow. I recommend this shop! Grace is an excellent counter person to deal with - read more

Their staff is a bit nurdy and antisocial, but they know their job. Good shop. Excellent supplies. Solid service.

I've worked with a handful of local instrument dealers & leasing outfits and these guys are customer-service oriented, ethical, accommodating, and professional. They've always handled all instrument maintenence & repair issues quickly, efficiently without hassle or run-around. They have also gone WAY above and beyond to be available in an emergency when I needed them. I can't recommend these guys highly enough to do them justice. The fabulous reviews & praise for Lisle Violin I've seen elsewhere is accurate and well-deserved. read more

Super friendly staff, answered all my questions and provided quick service during a busy Saturday.

Although this isn't a place for lots of choices for accessories or music, I am happy to find a place close by where I can get good work done on my instrument for a reasonable cost. I had a violin and 2 bows refurbished here and am happy with the results. The staff isn't very warm but they were able to help me with everything that I asked for. I do wish that they talked to me more about the repairs that they were going to do. Instead, I had to continually to ask questions until I understood what was needed. When I got everything back there were no comments or showing me what was done. I had gotten used to chatty staff at the last shop that I used to go to before moving here so I was hoping for the same guidance. Maybe that isn't the norm however. read more

40 years after I inherited a 1902 Sears & Roebuck catalog violin, I decided to have it restored. Two weeks later I was presented with an instrument that not only looks practically new - but an instrument whose sound equaled contemporary instruments costing 100 times more than its original cost in 1902. As I do not play the violin, the Bissonnet location manager arranged for one of the staff to play the restored 1902 violin and two contemporary violins - allowing me to record the session with his comments on the restored instrument. Such personalized service added to my 5 star rating for Lisle ! read more

Excellent violin shop - good selections and great customer service! The store manager Grace helped me each time I came. I rented a violin from them for a year and decided to buy. Grace knows all the violins very well and let me try a few of them even though I was just looking at the basic models and wasn't buying anything really expensive or fancy. She didn't give any pressure to buy right away and made good recommendations and was very patient and kind and knowledgeable. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking to buy a violin! read more

Their service is amazing! I got all I needed for my son's violin and more! I got amazing tips from the helpful lady at the desk! Who knew that car pinstriping adhesives can be an efficient way to help my son place his fingers on the fingerboard?! Long story short, my son did well in his practices--hopefully he will do well on his recital! :D read more

best selection of violin strings in houston, good service.

I love Lisle's. I've been playing cello for 8 years, and I've been going to their shop for about 6. They almost always have exactly what I'm looking for when it comes to strings and accessories. I've also had to have a few repairs done on both my cello and my antique violin- a hole in the rib, broken peg, unglued seams- and they did a beautiful job on them. I bought my current cello from them in 2005, and I am about to buy another from them sometime in the near future. They are quite knowledgeable on how to fix the instruments, and they can help you out with cello if you talk to the right people. Also, their trade-in policy makes it easy to upgrade a purchased instrument. The inly regret I have is going to school in a city where Lisle's isn't! read more

I went there on July 5th to rent a cello and I was told that if I setup autopay then I would get a free music stand provided that I rent for atleast 3 months. While the person that was setting up the account and gathering everything, a lady, I think her name was Caroline informed the person that I cannot get the music stand as I am not paying the first month with the credit card. I think it was very impolite to interrupt in a transaction and inform something else when I was informed otherwise. Anyways, the lady was very rude. However, the person that setup my account still gave me the free music stand. I would love if her manager sees this comment. read more

My daughter just took an old violin in to buy strings and get a new bow and the employee was very rude, condescending and demeaning. Take your money somewhere else, do not patronize this business. read more

Although I was not a customer at this shop, my vehicle was vandalized by an employee of the Lisle Violin Shop just for parking my car in front of the shop on New Year's Eve while I went to get my hair done at a hair salon next door. What a way to end the year. There was not a sign anywhere in sight restricting me from parking there. When I came out, there were 10 red flyers glued with instrument glue to all my windows around the car. The flyer said, "PLEASE DO NOT PARK HERE IN THE FUTURE FOR MORE THAN 30 MINS!! OR ELSE IT WILL BE BABIED AT THE STORAGE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" It was very difficult to get the glue and paper off the windows since it was adhered with plenty of glue. When I asked the employee how I was to take it off, he replied, "The same way you parked here, you'll figure it out. It's your problem, " and he went back into the shop. The police was called to report vandalism but the officer was unable to do anything since there wasn't any permanent damage to the vehicle. I still filed the police report just so that if I had to have the glue professionally removed, that I would have some grounds to file for a reimbursement from the company. I just wanted to warn people to be careful when parking here because if they have an employee who would do such a horrible thing, then it makes you think of the kind of service they are providing. read more