Specimen Products

Specimen Products is a Chicago-based manufacturer of custom guitars, tube amplifiers, and audio horn speakers led by luthier Ian Schneller.

The Specimen workshop offers repair services to the general public, making use of their collection of parts from rare and vintage manufacturers.

The brand Specimen Products was conceived by company founder Ian Schneller in 1981, during his undergraduate study at the Memphis College of Art.

In 1986, as he began producing more instruments for friends and bandmates, Schneller established his workshop on Chicago's south-side Archer Street, in a loft rented by his band Shrimp Boat.

In 2003, the business grew large enough to warrant moving to a new facility on Chicago's near westside, representing a shift to an industrial model of production rather than a boutique.