For the last 20+ years, Billy Martin has played some of the biggest imaginable stages as the lead guitarist of Good Charlotte, and he brought his trusty PRS guitars with him every step of the way.
From the early days of “Little Things” and the band’s massive rise beginning with The Young and the Hopeless all the way through two different hiatuses — with Good Charlotte only returning from their pandemic break in October 2023 — Martin’s favorite guitar brand has never wavered. And with the pop-punk rockers back in full swing, fans are going to be hearing a lot more of the beloved guitarist’s wide-ranging collection in the near future.
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SPIN spoke with Billy Martin about his growth as both a guitarist and human being, the return of Good Charlotte, and his love for both PRS guitars and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
SPIN: You’re well-known for loving PRS guitars ever since the early days. How did you first get into them as a teenager?
Billy Martin: I grew up in Maryland, just down the street from the PRS factory, so I’d see them in music shops and some of the local bands would play them. It was definitely more of a Maryland thing back then. Sometime around 1995 or ‘96 was when I was really getting into rock music and playing guitar, and I just immediately loved the way they look. I still think they’re the most beautiful guitars out there. There’s just so much craftsmanship to the guitar. They feel good to play. The necks are nice and thin, and they’re not too heavy compared to a Les Paul. It was just one of those things where it’s the perfect package for a guitar. It looks good, it sounds good, and it feels good.
You’ve created a pretty wide range of music in the rock world, so what do you need from your guitar collection to make that happen?
My PRS guitars are definitely versatile for that, especially with the different models I have. I’ve used some of the hollowbody models to get a cool clean tone, and then the Custom 24 has always been my favorite for the dirty tones. It really is a versatile guitar, and they really think about all of the pickup selections. You have the pickup selector, and then you can pull the volume knob up for more variations, so there are like 12 different variations you can do to get all these different sounds. They know it’s a guitar player’s guitar. It’s not just like “Oh, I’ll just grab this guitar.” If you get a PRS, you love guitar and you want to get those types of options. They make guitars for people who want options and who really care about the sounds of their guitar.
It feels like Good Charlotte was huge for a while, cooled off for a little bit, and now you’re back. What has this second resurgence been like over the last couple of years?
I’m very thankful for it. I think most bands are on a roller coaster where you start low, you get to the top, and when things start not going well, the band jumps off at the bottom most of the time. But if you continue to stay focused and ride the storm, the roller coaster goes back up again. Most bands aren’t willing to do that second round of work to get back to where you were, and there was a time when we all got married and had kids, so no one wanted to do all of it. We didn’t want to leave our families and miss all that, so we deliberately made the decision to take a break and be with our families. It’s a gamble that you take, because as soon as you jump out of the spotlight, everybody keeps going and you get left behind. We knew that, but you only get one life, and your kids grow so fast. When we came back two years ago for the When We Were Young Festival, that was the first time we’d played since before COVID, and it felt really good. But we were still in the habit of being home, so we just didn’t want to fully do it. Something lately just kind of clicked with everybody, and we’re like, “If we’re doing this, it can’t just be a random thing, we’ve got to do it for real.” We have a lot of plans, and I think the fans feel that. They know we’re actually really back, and the shows have been nuts.
How different does it feel now as a dad, as opposed to when you started in the band as a teenager?
I was a senior in high school when we signed our first record deal and I’m 43 now, so it’s very different. I’m worried about my knees and my ankles every time I do a jump, but so far, so good. It’s cool because my family’s on the side of the stage watching, and I’ll go over between songs and ask the kids “Hey, you guys good? Is everyone having fun?” That’s a great moment that you can’t plan. Before, I wanted to make myself proud. Now, I want to make the family proud. When I get a big win, I get to go tell the kids and share it with my family. “Guess what? We’re playing this TV show!” or “We’re gonna go to Florida next week to play Rockville, and you guys are going!” It adds a new sense of accomplishment and appreciation for it.
Is there any advice or anything you’ve told the next generation that’s come up under you and might look up to you in some ways?
“It’s not easy.” I think some bands are looking for the easy way out, but you have to grind and make sacrifices. For instance, we didn’t want to give up being away from our families as parents, but we gave up the 20 years prior to that. We missed all of our friends’ birthday parties, weddings, life moments, all because you have to dedicate to the band if you really want to do it. Also, “Don’t get complacent.” If you think you’re a badass guitar player, there are 50 other guys who can play circles around you. You have to find a way to make it fun and keep improving. I wake up every day and I’m hungry to make music. I still pick up my guitar every day and want to learn a new chord voicing or a new way to play something. You have to stay excited and passionate about it. The second you stop working, everyone flies right past you.
What are some of your favorite guitars right now?
I mostly play my Custom 24. My favorite band growing up was Silverchair, and Daniel Johns had this green PRS he got from Page Hamilton from Helmet — another band I really love. That was one of the first times I saw someone outside of Maryland with a PRS, so when I was still in high school, I saved my money up, went to the store and bought a green PRS. It’s all beat up now, but it was my very first one, and it’s always right next to me at home. When I pick up a guitar to play, it’s my green PRS. I don’t take it on tour anymore because it’s thrashed, but the Custom 24 is still my go-to. PRS just sent me one of the Sandblasted ones, and I think that’s one of the coolest-looking guitars I’ve ever seen. I also had my signature model 10-12 years ago, and that was such an insane moment for me to have my own signature with my favorite guitar company. I still have a couple of those on tour, but they’re getting all beat up, too. It’s just too cool to not bring my signature guitar on tour, and I usually start the show with it. When we play “The Anthem,” I have a part where I do a tremolo effect. I took the tone knob on that guitar and made it a second volume knob, and with one volume all the way down and one volume all the way up, I can use the toggle switch to get that cool glitchy effect. All of my signatures are set up that way just so I can do that.
Speaking of your signature guitar, how did it feel to get your own artist model from PRS?
When they called me up to ask me if I was into it, it was probably the top moment of my career. My dad took me to the PRS factory to visit it when I was in high school, and I remember walking through the factory and just really wanting one. I think the next time I went to the factory after that was to pick out a couple of guitars I wanted to take, and the third time was to approve my signature model. I think about stuff like that, and it doesn’t feel like real life. I’m not a flashy guitar player. I’m not the type of guy who gets a signature model, and I’m sure there were so many people who were mad about it. But I think a lot of guitar playing is knowing your place and what needs to be played, and I think I know when I should show off and when I need to pull back. For PRS to give someone like me — who isn’t like a full-on shredder — a signature model and acknowledge “You’ve been a PRS guy your whole life, your band’s kicking ass and you’re from Maryland,” that meant the world to me. They were really open to what I wanted to do, but when I told them I wanted it matte black, they were like “The whole PRS thing is the pretty wood, and you want to cover it with matte black?” No one had done it before, so I thought it would be a big trip — plus, I love that spooky gothic stuff, so I wanted it matte black with a bat right in the middle of it.
Last question, since the NBA playoffs are currently going on, what do you think of your beloved Oklahoma City Thunder’s chances at winning a championship?
My wife actually moved from Oklahoma City to Maryland in high school, and we’ve been together ever since. We visit Oklahoma all the time, so that’s like my second home. I’m a big NBA guy — always have been — and as soon as they got a team, I was like “Cool. I’ll check this team out.” Then they drafted three generational players in [Kevin] Durant, [James] Harden and [Russell] Westbrook, and I was hooked. This year, I thought the [Denver] Nuggets were the hardest team, so I thought if we get past the Nuggets, we’re cruising all the way through. That was the only team I was worried about, and they did it. I get so mad at the games sometimes, it drives my family crazy. We were in Florida for Rockville during the end of Game 6 against the Nuggets, and we had to find a big sports bar to go to right after because I had to watch the game. Then I was flying home during Game 7, and our layover was through Denver. I was just thinking “When we get off this plane in Denver, I’ll either feel like a fool or like the man,” but then the flight got canceled and re-routed, which felt like a sign. This season’s been so much fun, I want them against the Knicks in the Finals.
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