A founding member of Maryland’s favorite pop-punk quartet, Good Charlotte, Billy Martin has been an avid PRS endorser since the band’s early days. One of our original SE signature artists, the SE Billy Martin model debuted way back in 2004. Following a studio hiatus of nearly seven years, Good Charlotte are back, having recently dropped a new single, ”Rejects.” This comes ahead the release of their eighth album Motel Du Cap, due out August 8th.

PRS: Historically, who has had the greatest influence on your playing? Not only as a guitarist, but as a musician overall?

Billy: It changes from time to time, but if I could narrow it down it would be Daniel Johns from Silverchair and Danny Elfman. I’ve spoken many times about Silverchair being the catalyst that made me want to play music. They were almost the same age as me when they saw success and it made me realize that I didn’t have to wait until I grew up, it set off a fire in me to get where I wanted to be in music. Although their success in America seemed to fade a little with each album, they blossomed into an absolutely amazing band. Daniel’s ear for melody is just insane! He played a green PRS which was a gift from Page Hamilton from Helmet, so I saved my money for years until I could afford a PRS and of course bought a green Custom 24. It’s still my favorite guitar and I don’t tour with it anymore; I would be devastated if anything happened to it. I’m a big film score nerd as well, I love complex orchestral arrangements especially ones with strong melodies. Danny Elfman is the absolute master of that. I’ve been working as a composer for games over the last few years and my love of his work has only grown. I got some of the complete score sheet music where it shows every single instrument’s part and re-created some of his work with VSTs. Being able to break it all down and work out each part individually and then see how certain parts harmonized with each other taught me so much! Although you don’t hear it a ton in Good Charlotte’s music, I think both of their signature sounds have really shaped how I approach melody as an artist. If I was speaking purely as a lead guitar player, I would have to put Jerry Cantrell and Billy Corgan in my top spots for inspiration.

PRS: What does the future hold for Good Charlotte? Can we anticipate any new music releases this year?

Billy: Yes! We just released the first single, “Rejects” from our new upcoming album which comes out August 8th. It’s our first release in seven years, so we are all very excited to be back at it. We are ramping back up to tour life with a bunch of festivals this year with plans for a full world tour in 2026. Everyone in the band is really focused on taking GC to where we always hoped we would be. We took a lot of time off to start families and live a little bit. I was a senior in high school when signed our first deal and really didn’t stop for 15 years. It was necessary for all of us to get back to that side of our lives to appreciate what the band meant to us.

PRS: You were among the first SE signature artists back in 2004, is the Billy Martin SE still a part of your touring arsenal?

Billy: Of course! Getting my own signature PRS was easily one of the top moments of my career. Good Charlotte is from Maryland just like PRS, so I think we had a deep appreciation for the guitars before they were really as well-known as they are now. I toured the factory as a young kid and dreamed of owning one someday. When I was asked about creating my own signature model it was literally a dream come true. I use the very first one I was sent with Paul’s signature on the head stock in my touring rig. It’s definitely taken some hits and the cool matte paint job is worn away, but the battle damage is part of its history!

PRS: What do you love the most about your PRS Guitars in general?

Billy: I know music is heard with your ears but the visual aspect of PRS is definitely what first drew me to them. I think they are by far the most beautiful guitars in the world. I think they feel incredibly comfortable to play as well. They have a great weight to them, and the neck isn’t too wide. The sound is unmistakably PRS too, they have a very warm tone no matter what you play them through. I’ve switched between a handful of amps in my live rig looking for a new sound every few years but have never even thought about playing another type of guitar!

PRS: Do you have any projects outside of Good Charlotte in the works that we should be keeping an eye or ear out for?

Billy: Yes, as I mentioned before, I’ve been scoring games. I recently worked on a mobile game called 1v1.LOL which was a really fun experience. I’ve been working on a game in the Roblox world called Piggy:Intercity. It’s a sequel to the original Piggy game which has an insane cult fan base. You can find its merch in Target, Hot Topic, Game Stope etc. This new game is going to be huge; the team has taken it to a whole new level and I’m thankful to be a part of it! As far as rock music goes, I’ve been producing and writing with a handful of bands. I’m currently producing an album for a band I consider to be a pioneer of the early Nu Metal sound and one I have always been a fan of. They haven’t announced the album yet, so I will let you figure it out when it’s released next year!

Good Charlotte - Rejects (Official Video)

Connect with Billy:

Billy Martin (@TheBillyMartin) / X