I took my Grandmothers violin from 1930 to him and he fixed it beautifully. The front had several crack and many scratches (as it had been sitting in a barn for years). It was amazingly repaired. Amazing tone and overall sound. Would definitely recommend.

The place is awesome, the owner is a very nice and friendly person, he helped me a lot. The violins are beautiful and made of a very good material, I would definitely recommend it!

I discovered Lucas while scouring the internet for luthiers in the surrounding Louisville area. There is one in Louisville, but their focus is on servicing school orchestral programs rather than the individual attention and care I felt this violin needed, a mid-19th century Mittenwald violin. I spoke with with Lucas about an extensive rehab in which we talked at length. Hes been around for a while and has been trained by some of the best luthiers in the country and I decided then hed be the one to entrust with this instrument. During the process, he kept me informed of the state of repairs during the rehab with pictures and comments. In my case, I had several deep scratches and developing cracks along with peeling wood around the right lower bout. I also needed a new nut and varnish touch up and a french polish. Good work does not come fast but the end results were amazing. Cracks were repaired, the surface cleaned and deep scratches removed, and the varnish and new shellac on the fiddle looks beautiful. Most importantly, it plays wonderfully and seems to have more power than before. In addition, Lucas rehaired my main Coda Bow with top grade horsehair and it sounds beautiful with bite and tonal core body. For the price charged given increase in tonal quality, I thought was very fair. As he put it, his goal is to make it look like the instrument has never been opened and repaired, and I would concur with that. It was a nice schlep up to Bloomington from Louisville, but was worth it and Im sure youll agree if you use his services. I heartily recommend him.

The violin is a hand-me-down from my daughter to my granddaughter. I wanted it to be at its best before giving it to her. It had been neglected for nearly 30 years, in its case in my closet. I know next to nothing about violins and was almost embarrassed to bring it to a real luthier. But Lucas was encouraging and willing to make the needed repairs. He also suggested more improvements for the future, if my granddaughter sticks with her music. His prices were very reasonable, I thought. He cleaned and repaired the varnish, replaced the chin rest and restrung it. It looks beautiful and I know my granddaughter will be pleased. Thanks, Lucas!

Had a great time talking with him about my cello, cant wait to get it back after he works his magic

Great place to have your instrument repaired, bow repaired or purchase string accessories. The owner, Luke is very knowledgeable and has a great blend of technical knowledge and artistry.

Mr. Marvell did varnish work on my instrument recently and I am so impressed with the quality. My instrument looks like new and still sounds as amazing as ever. I highly recommend going to Bloomington Strings for any work, as he does exceptional work and is very professional.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!! If you are ever in need of advice, help, repairs, pretty much anything string this is your guy!! Lucas is phenomenal! Experienced, knowledgeable and super friendly. I’m a total beginner and he was nothing but kind and easily maneuvered around my newbie questions!! Very flexible hours too!

I have a hammered dulcimer that needed some repair work. Since it is such an unusual instrument, I hadnt been able to locate someone to do the work. Thankfully I was told by a family friend to contact Lucas. He bravely tackled the job of replacing all 46 strings and replacing one of the carved wood sound hole decorations. I was totally pleased with his work and his dedication to making a once-beautiful instrument capable of producing beautiful sounds again.

Lucas is very talented, knowledgeable, kind, fair, and great to work with. He has been so supportive and inspiring to my son, a violist. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Ig I could I would give him 10 stars!

Im very happy with the service I have received from Bloomington String Instruments. I have had two evaluations on instruments for repair (with subsequent repair and refurbishing on both instruments to my complete satisfaction) and one insurance appraisal with documentation. I appreciate the knowledge, expertise and experience that Mr. Marvel brings to his craft and will continue to use his services in the future.

Lucas is very knowledgeable, kind, professional and comfortable to talk with. He helped my sick violin sound healthy again. He also gave my advice on my bow and where to take lessons.

Lucas is excellent. Ive been taking my bass to him for years, and I wouldnt take it anywhere else. He takes the time to do it right, explains what hes doing and why, and delivers consistently outstanding work and customer service.

Luke did a fantastic job on my bass! After a few winters in a drafty house, my old bass exploded at the neck. It was a tricky job, but the instrument came back looking and sounding great! I know he also donates his services to some local programs. A great luthier and a great guy!

I only go to Lucas for my repairs and bow needs. His prices are very fair and honestly should be more for the amazing work he does. Ive stopped going to all other string shops in Bloomington.

The service that I have received here were outstanding for both quality and customer service. I have been taking my viola here for the last three years for everything from a bow rehair and new strings to a complete instrument re-varnish. The work is excellent and has stood up exceptionally well through the severe weather demands of the Eastern and Midwestern climates. My instrument has NEVER sounded better and it is certainly due to the services that I have received at Bloomington String Instruments. Lucas has also bent over backwards to help make sure that I am serviced around my scheduling needs without sacrificing service quality. I have recommended him to friends and students alike will continue to do so.

Lucas did a very clean professional job on my old cello, a repair that was complicated by me being 2000 miles away from his shop.Lucas handled the details and got it to me on time and on budget.I definitively recommend him and his services.

Lucas Nelson Marvell of Bloomington Strings is highly recommended by my husband and myself as a professional luthier and extremely fair and pleasant to work with. He did an excellent job on renovating my dads violin as our donation to our local Rockford Music Academy - Suzuki school where our son spent many years taking lessons and performing.Lucas was highly recommended by our sons teacher and is depended on by the school for work on the instruments. We felt Mr. Marvell went over and above by coming to pick up the instrument personally at our home and spent some time getting to know us. Pictures of the ongoing work and corrections were sent by email and any questions/ recommendations were explained well in advance by email or phone.Youll be in good hands with mr. Marvell.Jean Geller

Highly recommend shop. Luke is a wonderful craftsman and works until one is satisfied with the quality of the sound or/and repair.

Lucas did some work on my upright bass. Ive worked with other luthiers before who did good work, but Lucas is a people person. Not only is his work top notch, but he communicates very well. He worked with me to figure out exactly what needs to happen to get optimal performance from my bass. He is friendly and welcoming, and he never leaves you guessing on what he is doing and how much it will cost. He explains things in such a way that anyone can understand. Hes a a straight shooter, and I appreciate that. I go to him for any advice and adjustments my bass needs. Youll be a customer for life if you work with Lucas.

I gave Bloomington Stringed Instruments 5 Stars because it combines craftsmanship and art, with trustworthiness. This luthier cares as much about people (the musician) as he does the instrument. Great to have B.S.I. in B-ton.

Luke is a tremendous luthier, and an incredible asset to me. As a double bassist, I used to think I had to drive or ship to Cincinnati, Nashville, or Chicago to get work done by someone who actually knows what theyre doing on my instrument. Luke gave more attention to the detail of his work, to my instrument, and to addressing my specific concerns than I have otherwise experienced. Hes exceptionally knowledgable and I recommend his work against any other luthier Ive gone to.

August 1, 2016I recently had some significant restoration work done on my cello by Luke Nelson Marvel at Bloomington String Instruments. I was hesitant to have a luthier work on my cello that I hadnt used before but Luke came very highly recommended to me from another cellist I highly respect and perform regularly with. I needed my cello neck reset and a few other minor things done. I was secretly hoping his work would help my temperamental cello to play more consistently. Luke kept me regularly informed with emails AND pictures (which I loved!) via email, and he always answered my emails or phone calls quickly. He always took time to explain the situation and my options, and he is just a fun person to visit and talk with! As he opened up my cello and progressed with the work, Luke found additional problems with my cello, including questionable repair work that had been done in the past. He found some cracks that werent visible externally that he repaired. There was some damage that required a sound post patch. I also wanted a more robust endpin, and some external damage to the varnish, including scratches touched up. He made me a new sound post and a new bridge, and recommended some different brands of strings than what I had been using. I also had Luke do some repair work on by bow. In the end, I couldnt be more pleased!!! My cello plays more evenly over its entire range, the tone is fuller and richer, the response and vibrato greatly improved! Externally the cello looks gorgeous – better than when I bought it (Its a modern cello). If this wasnt enough, the final touch really impressed me: Normally I would have spent an hour or more in the past working with a luthier to adjust my cello to get it just right. When I first sat down to play the completed cello – it was perfect! No adjustments needed! Furthermore, it held its adjustment for close to a year before needing attention again (by Luke, of course)! In the past, by the time I got home from previous luthiers, my cello would already be going out of adjustment. I realize that all cellos have their own personality and behave differently – but this has been such an amazing and exciting experience for me! I am Lukes customer for life now, even though I live in Illinois, 5 hours away from Bloomington. Thank you Luke for helping to make my cello perform better than it has in the 25 years Ive owned it! Needless to say, I highly recommend Luke for any work you may need done!James Haugland

Lovely place.