Randy Fullmer - in The World of Music

In The World of Music

Fullmer started taking trombone lessons at the age of six, but his arm wasn't long enough to hit all the scale notes until he was eight. By age ten, he was taking guitar lessons, and within a year, he appeared on television playing a duet of Malagueña with his guitar teacher.

At the age of twelve, Fullmer asked his parents if he could buy a 12-string guitar to complement his 6-string electric guitar. When they said, “no, you already have a guitar, you don't need another one," Fullmer asked if he could purchase the wood to build his own 12-string instead. His parents were so thrown by this bizarre request that they acquiesced. Over the next six years, Fullmer proceeded to build approximately 30 guitars, craftsmanship that was both self-taught and mentored by an old country western fiddle maker named Tom. (Fullmer continued to build guitars throughout his life, but this task was relegated to hobby status while his animation career took precedent.)

Fullmer formed several rock bands with friends throughout his youth, including the rock group "The Isle of Phyve" which toured the Pacific Northwest on weekends, summers and holidays while Fullmer was in high school.