Chicago Tribune
Friday, October 22, 1993

Schneller's Fine Specimens Strike a Chord

Specimen Products, former Shrimp Boat guitarist Ian Schneller's one-man custom guitar building and repair operation, is stepping up production. Schneller's industrial, aluminum-bodied electric guitars—which appeared in Ministry's "New World Order" video and figured prominently on the cover of Tar's "Clincher" album—are prized by Chicago rock purists for their quality and no-frills appearance.

About four years ago, Tar's John Mohr asked Schneller to build an indestructible guitar. "We thought metal might be nice, so I started toying with ways to bolt together a hollow aluminum body with bracing inside. Since then, the design has evolved considerably," recalls Schneller. Specimen guitars take six to seven months to make and sell for $1,500 to $2,000, depending on the amount of customization.

Schneller's attention is equally divided between Specimen Products and his new band, Falstaff, which includes bassist Mitch Straeffer and drummer Tom Jasek (who had a brief stint with Shrimp Boat). Falstaff will perform at the Empty Bottle Annex's grand opening festival on October 29, and also will perform a showcase set at New York's College Music Journal's Music Marathon on November 5.


Excerpt taken from the article written by David Rothschild
photo/Marty Perez