Custom-building and repairing guitars leads to the start of a new South Elgin business

Chicago Tribune

18 hours ago

Ed Snoble has been custom-building guitars and repairing guitars, banjos and other stringed instruments for the last 30 years. Oh, and he also loves a good cup of coffee.
Combine the three and you'll come up with the Penguin Guitar Co., a new South Elgin business through which you can get all of the above.
'Ed lives on coffee,' said Kenny Potilechio, who's responsible for the company's marketing, outreach and social media.
When he and Snoble were putting together merchandise to promote the new business, they found that small batch coffee roaster Rock Creek Coffee would provide them with beans they could sell under their own label. You can buy 12 ounces of ground medium roast for $19.54 along with an assortment of T-shirts, ball caps, hoodies and other items on their website.
But building guitars from scratch, improving/enhancing existing instruments and repairing/restoring them for customers is their bread and butter. The launch of business began with a ghost story, of sorts, Potilechio said.
Snoble, a financial planner at BMO, has been a member of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra board since 2019. For its 2021 fundraising gala, he donated an auction item: a custom-built guitar he named 'Ghost' for its pale color.
The winning bidder gave the guitar to Potilechio as a gift. Potilechio has been playing guitar with bands and as an acoustic performer for more than 20 years.
Impressed with the instrument, he sought out Snoble to repair guitars he already owned and two make two new ones. That connection led to a friendship that led to the creation of the Penguin Guitar Co., which can be found online at penguinguitarco.com.
Snoble's own music history began when he first picked up a guitar about 40 years ago. By the late 1990s/early 2000s he was playing with Chicago-area cover bands and learning firsthand just how expensive it can be to maintain stage-ready gear.
'My desire to learn and to save a few dollars is what sparked a desire to modify my own guitars,' Snoble said.
He started by tinkering with his Fender Stratocaster, changing its bridge pickup to give the guitar a different sound, he said.
'I was hooked. I then started modifying instruments for my friends. They loved to play them but hated to do the maintenance to keep them stage-ready,' he said.
Snoble started making his own guitars, and his work became more elaborate as he refined his skills over the years. He now prides himself on the custom work he can produce, he said.
'We help artists materialize the guitar that is in their head, the one they are dreaming of,' Snoble said
He's assisted by his 14-year-old son.
'Eddie has been helping out since he was 5 years old. His favorite part is soldering the electronics inside of the guitar,' Snoble said.
The teen also contributed providing business' name, which comes from Eddie's favorite animal.
Ordering a custom-made instrument from Penguin Guitar Co. means the buyer gets to choose everything — type of wood, fret height, bridge type, body style, hardware and finish color — owner Ed Snoble says. (Penguin Guitar Co.)Commissioned guitars start at about $1,000 and typically take six to eight weeks. Buyers get to choose everything from the type of wood used to body style, hardware type, bridge height, finish color and other features. In addition to repairs, Snoble also does electrical upgrades and fret dressing.
It's all done by appointment only by emailing Snoble at [e-mail].
While a labor of love, for now Snoble and Potilechio, who sells wireless microphones for Nady Systems, will be keeping their day jobs.
'Making guitars and repairing stringed instruments is therapeutic for me,' Snoble said. 'Ninety-nine percent of the work is done by hand. It is slow and tedious work that requires a lot of focus and attention. It's very calming work in a world that moves so fast.'