"California Special" is the first Totemguitar I made. The decorations include bric-a-brac I had accumulated, along with the license plate of my old '70 Triumph Tiger motorcycle, applied over a board of Mahogany. I wanted to make a personal guitar, and also experiment with a batch of resin I had mixed up. I used an old Warmoth neck, an Ibanez Super 70 humbucker and a Jackson Strat pickup along with a used Schaller stoptail bridge to complete the instrument. It is a simple guitar, but its tone and playability convinced me to pursue this path further - although I subsequently refrained from doing things like casting the pickups and the wiring directly into the resin - making adjustments and repairs or exchanges a bit difficult... I have kept this guitar and it is not for sale. Over the years the resin has yellowed, acquiring an amber cast and giving it a "vintage" appearance. It still plays and sounds good, showing no signs of deterioration.
The second Totemguitar sports a Redwood back and a Maple neck w/ Rosewood fingerboard, chrome hardware. A neck pickup and 3-way switch were added to the single DiMarzio 'Fast Track' Tele pickup in the bridge.
An experiment with a different type of resin resulted in eventual separation between resin and wood in certain places. This will remain a body only.