“As someone who’s been obsessed with PRS since my youth, it has been an absolute dream to be able to develop my own PRS signature guitar.” Mark Holcomb wrote this on the official PRS Guitars page for his signature model — and the statement is as genuine as any in this guide. He had been obsessed with Paul Reed Smith guitars since long before there was any professional reason to be, long before he was a professional guitarist, long before he was a member of Periphery. He just loved the guitars. When he finally got to make his own — a process that took nearly a year of detailed specification work with the PRS team — “the result is something that truly stands on its own in the PRS lineup, and a guitar that I can undoubtedly say is the best instrument I’ve ever laid my hands on.” The PRS SE prototype that they built him in late 2015 became his main studio guitar immediately. He tracked most of his Periphery 3 six-string parts on it. The Holcomb Burst finish (a specific dark purple — “not Barney-purple, but a classier, darker purple”) was developed by going into the PRS paint room with his artist relations contact and mocking up colors until they found the right one. He worked with Seymour Duncan to develop the Alpha and Omega pickups — and subsequently the Scarlet and Scourge pickups on the updated model — voiced specifically to handle everything from clean tones to metal, without feedback at high gain. He cares about this the way that most people care about things that matter to them. He always has.
Mark Holcomb joined Periphery in 2011 (or 2012, depending on the source’s definition of “joining” versus “touring”) as the third guitarist, completing the triangle of tone that Misha Mansoor and Jake Bowen had established. Born in the late 1980s (specific birthdate not widely published), he grew up in the mid-Atlantic region and was a Periphery fan before becoming a Periphery member — submitting a guitar-playing audition video that impressed Mansoor enough to invite him in. His role in Periphery is as the lead guitarist and melodic contributor — the voice that provides the soaring, atmospheric guitar work that sits above and around Mansoor’s rhythm foundation and Jake Bowen’s second guitar voice. His PRS signature models — the Core, SE, and SVN (seven-string) versions — are among the most widely used signature guitar models in the progressive metal community. He has “played a major role in popularizing the use of extended range guitars in recent years,” per the PRS artist page. He collaborates with Seymour Duncan, Fractal Audio, and Horizon Devices (co-designing pedals with Mansoor). He is Periphery’s “gear dork” by his own PRS Q&A admission — the one who wants to understand every specification and make every detail exactly right.
Background: PRS Obsession Since Youth, Periphery Fan to Periphery Member, Progressive Metal Melodic Voice
Holcomb’s specific position in Periphery is as the band’s primary melodic and atmospheric guitar voice — the counterpart to Mansoor’s rhythmic foundation. Where Mansoor’s guitar work is characterized by precision, palm-muted djent attacks, and the systematic development of polyrhythmic low-tuned riff patterns, Holcomb’s guitar work is characterized by melodic lead lines, atmospheric chord voicings, and the specific dynamic range that Periphery’s songs require from their quiet, delicate moments through to their most aggressive peaks. His PRS signature model — with its pickups “designed with the intention to handle everything from clean tones, mid-gain, ambient lines” — reflects this range: unlike a specialist metal pickup, the Holcomb pickups are designed for the full tonal spectrum that his playing requires.
The audition-video origin story is one of the more charming band-joining stories in progressive metal. He submitted a video to Mansoor demonstrating his guitar playing; Mansoor was impressed; he joined the band. Before that, he had been a fan. The transition from audience member to band member — through a combination of technical skill, stylistic fit, and the willingness to demonstrate these qualities on video — is the specific 2010s-era trajectory that digital communication enabled: a musician anywhere with sufficient skill and the ability to record and submit a demonstration could become part of a major band without the conventional process of local scene building and personal connection that previous generations required.
His PRS relationship extends across multiple model tiers: the Core (American-made, top of the PRS range), the SE (Korean-made, more accessible price), and the SVN (seven-string version for extended-range material). That PRS collaborated with him on all three tiers — rather than just a single signature model — reflects both Holcomb’s importance to the PRS artist roster and the commercial significance of the progressive metal audience that his guitar represents. The SE Mark Holcomb is one of PRS’s most popular SE models, selling to the community of progressive metal players who want Holcomb’s specific specifications at a more accessible price point.
The Rig: Mark Holcomb’s Guitars, Amps, and Effects
Guitars
PRS Mark Holcomb Signature (Core, Multiple Versions — “Best Instrument I’ve Ever Laid My Hands On”): Mark Holcomb’s primary guitar is the PRS Mark Holcomb signature — a custom-designed PRS guitar that he describes as “the best instrument I’ve ever laid my hands on.” The current (2025) PRS Mark Holcomb Core model specifications per the official PRS page: mango top, 25.5-inch scale length maple neck, ebony fretboard with 20-inch radius, Holcomb’s signature Seymour Duncan Scarlet (neck) and Scourge (bridge) pickups. The 25.5-inch scale length (standard Stratocaster scale, longer than Gibson’s 24.75-inch) provides the additional string tension that maintains definition at the drop tunings (Drop C, Drop B) that Periphery’s material requires. The 20-inch fretboard radius (relatively flat compared to vintage 7.25-inch or mid-vintage 12-inch) suits fast, precise playing with wide bends without fretting out on the curved section. The ebony fretboard provides a specific bright, tight attack character.
The Holcomb Burst finish — the specific dark purple that he developed by going into the PRS paint room — has become one of the most recognizable guitar colorways in progressive metal. “I’ve always loved purple. Not Barney-purple, but a classier, darker purple.” The collaboration with PRS paint department staff produced the specific rich, deep purple that appears on both the Core and SE models.
Seymour Duncan Alpha and Omega (Earlier Models) / Seymour Duncan Scarlet and Scourge (Current Models): The pickup evolution across the different Holcomb signature model versions documents his ongoing collaboration with Seymour Duncan to refine the specific pickup character for his musical requirements. The original SE model used Seymour Duncan Alpha and Omega pickups — designed for “tight low-end response, aggressive attack, and clear note definition.” The current Core model uses the updated Seymour Duncan Scarlet (neck) and Scourge (bridge) — delivering “focused low-end punch and crystal-clear articulation, ensuring complex chord voicings, coil-splitting, and drop tunings remain defined and dynamic.” The pickup evolution from Alpha/Omega to Scarlet/Scourge reflects his ongoing refinement of the specific tonal character: more focused low-end, better clean-to-gain range, improved coil-splitting character.
His specific description of the pickup design goal from the PRS SE Q&A: “Periphery is obviously a metal band so it needed to be able to articulate the more aggressive tones we’re known for, but the pickups were designed with the intention to handle everything from clean tones, mid-gain, ambient lines, [to] aggressive tones… The beauty of Periphery’s guitar aesthetic is that there are no styles or tones that are out of bounds, but the guitar and pickups need to be able to handle that. All of our effects are dialed in on the Fractal Audio Axe Fx II XL, and the pickups were primarily voiced on that same unit to ensure they consistently handled all of my favorite effects and tones.” This is the complete technical philosophy: pickups designed in the context of the specific amp modeling system, ensuring that the pickup-to-processor interaction produces the correct result across the full range of tonal requirements.
PRS SE Mark Holcomb (Production Version, “Main Studio Guitar Since Late 2015”): The PRS SE prototype built for Holcomb in late 2015 became his main studio guitar immediately — he tracked most of his Periphery 3 six-string parts on it. The SE’s Korean production quality translated his Core specifications into a more accessible instrument that performs at a high level in his professional recording and performance contexts. Premier Guitar’s 2023 Rig Rundown confirms: “For any Periphery songs that only require a standard 6-string attack, he shoulders his brand-new 2023 PRS SE Mark Holcomb that is off-the-shelf stock.” This is a notable detail: an artist endorser using an off-the-shelf production model (rather than a custom-built specimen) for his primary performance guitar.
PRS Mark Holcomb SVN (Seven-String for Extended-Range Periphery Material): PRS developed a seven-string version of the Holcomb signature — the SVN — for the Periphery material that requires extended low range beyond the standard six-string’s capabilities. The SVN maintains the same fundamental specifications (scale length, fretboard radius, ebony board, Holcomb-specific pickups) in the seven-string format. PRS’s artist page notes that “Mark worked with PRS to create the SE Holcomb and SE Holcomb SVN” — the SVN model making the seven-string version accessible at the SE price tier.
PRS-Inspired 8-String (Custom, Extended Range): Equipboard documents “an 8-string they made for Mark. He uses this for the 8-string songs Periphery write” — a custom 8-string instrument developed within the PRS relationship for the specific Periphery songs that require eight-string range beyond the seven-string’s capabilities.
Jackson Misha Mansoor Custom So-Cal (Documented, Collaborative): The Equipboard documentation notes: “In a YouTube video titled ‘new riffery’ by Misha Mansoor, Mark Holcomb is seen playing the Jackson Misha Mansoor Custom So-Cal guitar” — demonstrating the cross-brand, collaborative gear sharing that characterizes Periphery’s three-guitarist approach.
Amps
Fractal Audio Axe-FX II XL and Axe-FX III (Primary Live and Studio Amp Modeling): Like Mansoor, Holcomb uses Fractal Audio Axe-FX for primary live and studio amp modeling. The PRS SE Q&A confirms the Axe-FX II XL’s role in the pickup design process: “All of our effects are dialed in on the Fractal Audio Axe Fx II XL, and the pickups were primarily voiced on that same unit.” The 2023 Premier Guitar Rig Rundown confirms the updated Axe-FX III as his current primary unit. The Axe-FX’s amp model library and effects processing provides the complete signal chain for Periphery’s live and recording contexts, with Holcomb’s presets developed specifically for the range from his clean ambient passages through his metal rhythm and lead work.
Peavey 6505+ (Power Amp for Axe-FX Signal, Live Touring): The Equipboard documentation confirms: “In this live performance, Jake Bowen, Misha Mansoor and Mark Holcomb all use Peavey 6505+ amps as power amps for their Axe-Fx II’s.” The Peavey 6505+ (the updated version of the original 5150) serves as the power amplification stage for the Axe-FX’s preamp-modeled signal — providing the tube power stage character and the speaker-driving power of a real tube amplifier while the Axe-FX handles all the amp modeling and effects processing. Running a digital modeler through a tube power amp is a standard professional approach that captures the advantages of both: the consistency and variety of digital modeling with the organic punch of real tube power.
Peavey 5150 II (Documented in Sentient Glow Playthrough): The Equipboard documentation notes: “In this guitar playthrough of Sentient Glow, we can see Mark using a Peavey 5150 II Guitar Head in the background.” The 5150 II is the second version of the original Eddie Van Halen signature Peavey amp — a high-gain American tube head with the specific tight, aggressive character that suits the djent/progressive metal approach.
PRS Archon (Earlier Career Amp): The PRS Archon — Paul Reed Smith’s own tube amplifier with a three-channel design providing clean, crunch, and high-gain channels — appears in Holcomb’s earlier documented gear. The Archon’s specific warm, harmonically complex tube character suited his lead and melodic work before his transition to the Axe-FX primary approach. “In this Guitar Clinic video Mark shows he is using a MT15 for clinics instead of the Archon which he previously used and explains why” — the PRS MT15 (Mark Tremonti 15-watt signature head) replacing the Archon for clinic contexts where the lower wattage is more appropriate.
Effects
Horizon Devices Precision Drive (Co-Designed with Misha Mansoor, Primary Tightening Pedal): The Horizon Devices Precision Drive is co-designed with Misha Mansoor — a collaboration between Mansoor and the Horizon Devices company that produced a pedal specifically engineered for the djent/progressive metal context. Guitar Chalk’s assessment: “Designed by Periphery’s Misha Mansoor; tightens low end, ideal for modern metal tones.” The Precision Drive provides a specific “gate+drive” function: its noise gate engages tightly on the palm-muted low-tuned guitar signal, eliminating the noise between muted notes, while its drive section adds additional gain tightening before the amplifier or modeling unit. For the djent approach — where the silent spaces between palm-muted notes are as important as the notes themselves — the Precision Drive’s gate function is as important as its drive character.
Fractal Axe-FX Effects (Comprehensive Processing in Modeling Unit): As with Mansoor, the primary effects processing for Holcomb runs within the Fractal Axe-FX — using the unit’s extensive library of modeled effects (reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, flanger, pitch shifter, and more) rather than a physical pedalboard. His specific presets are developed to handle the full tonal range of Periphery’s material — from the lush, clean, reverberant ambient passages to the high-gain, tight, palm-muted djent sections. The presets change automatically between songs (as with the Mansoor Cubase automation approach), ensuring that every section of every song has the correct tonal treatment.
Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor (Signal Chain Management): The Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor — the standard professional noise gate pedal — appears in Holcomb’s documented signal chain alongside the Horizon Devices Precision Drive for comprehensive noise management in high-gain contexts. Running both a dedicated gate (the Horizon Devices) and the NS-2 provides layered noise suppression appropriate for the high-gain, extended-range guitar signal that can introduce significant noise from multiple sources.
MXR Custom Comp Compressor (Clean Tones and Sustain): The MXR Custom Comp Compressor provides subtle compression for Holcomb’s clean guitar tones and lead passages — adding sustain and evening out the dynamics of clean picking without the obvious compression artifact that more aggressive compressors produce. For the atmospheric, clean sections of Periphery’s material where the notes are meant to breathe and sustain naturally, the Custom Comp provides the invisible compression that maintains consistency without sounding processed.
Proton Pedals Mark Holcomb Signature Delay (Custom Collaboration): Holcomb has collaborated with Proton Pedals on a signature delay pedal — a high-end delay with a range of delay and modulation effects developed to his specific tonal requirements for the ambient, atmospheric dimension of his guitar playing.
D’Addario NYXL Strings and Ernie Ball Everlast Picks: Guitar Chalk documents D’Addario NYXL strings (the high-carbon steel, reformulated NYXL series with improved break strength and tuning stability) and Ernie Ball Everlast picks (0.73mm-0.88mm — a slightly flexible pick range appropriate for dynamic rhythm playing) as standard equipment for Holcomb. The NYXL’s specific improved tensile strength suits the drop tunings and extended scale lengths of his PRS guitars.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy
Mark Holcomb’s playing style is the most melodically sophisticated in Periphery — the voice that provides the soaring, atmospheric guitar work that creates the emotional dimension of the band’s music alongside Mansoor’s rhythmic foundation. His PRS Q&A description of the range his guitar needs to handle — “clean tones, mid-gain, ambient lines” alongside the “aggressive tones we’re known for” — reflects his specific musical role: he moves between tonal extremes within a single song, and the entire signal chain is organized to make these transitions seamless.
His tone philosophy is the PRS philosophy applied to metal: quality, precision, and tonal versatility in a single instrument and signal chain. The PRS signature’s specific approach — high-quality construction, carefully designed pickups, and a scale/radius/fretboard combination optimized for both precision and comfort — reflects the values he absorbed from years of PRS obsession. Where Mansoor’s guitar philosophy is maximally technical (the Axe-FX preset development, the Peavey Invective design), Holcomb’s is maximally musical: the gear should provide any tone the music requires, reliably and without fuss. “The beauty of Periphery’s guitar aesthetic is that there are no styles or tones that are out of bounds” — and his gear is organized to ensure none are.
His “calm, cool, and precisely collected style of playing” — the zZounds characterization — reflects the specific emotional character that distinguishes his playing from Mansoor’s more technically focused approach: Holcomb plays with a melodic sensitivity and an atmospheric quality that gives Periphery’s more restrained moments their specific emotional weight.
How to Sound Like Mark Holcomb
Guitar: PRS SE Mark Holcomb (accessible production version) or PRS Mark Holcomb Core (USA-made). 25.5-inch scale, Seymour Duncan Scarlet/Scourge or Alpha/Omega pickups. Holcomb Burst finish is optional but iconic. Drop C or Drop B tuning for Periphery material on a six-string; seven-string in drop-A for extended range material.
Amp: Fractal Axe-FX III for the full modeling approach (presets developed to cover the full clean-to-high-gain range). Peavey 6505+ as power amp for the Axe-FX signal. PRS MT15 for clinic/smaller contexts.
Amp Settings (Peavey 6505+ / High-Gain American Tube Head):
| Control | Setting (0–10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 7–9 | High — but maintains note-to-note clarity for melodic passages |
| Bass | 5–6 | Full but controlled — melodic lead lines need bass support |
| Mid | 5–6 | Present — lead guitar lives in the midrange |
| Treble | 6 | Balanced — present for lead articulation without excessive brightness |
| Presence | 5 | Moderate — sustains without harshness for melodic lead work |
Effects: Horizon Devices Precision Drive (before amp — gate engaged, drive moderate) for tightening on heavy sections. MXR Custom Comp for clean tones and leads. Proton Pedals Mark Holcomb Signature Delay for atmospheric passages. Boss NS-2 for additional noise suppression. Primary effects processing in the Fractal Axe-FX.
Influence & Legacy
Mark Holcomb’s influence on progressive metal guitar is specifically the influence of a PRS-endorsed artist who brought the PRS Custom 24 tradition (warm, musical, high-quality) into the djent/progressive metal context where Ibanez and Jackson traditionally dominated. His PRS signature models have been among the most commercially successful progressive metal signature guitars of the past decade, introducing a generation of progressive metal players to Paul Reed Smith’s specific approach to guitar construction. “He played a major role in popularizing the use of extended range guitars in recent years” — per PRS — specifically by creating PRS-branded extended range instruments for a genre that previously had no PRS presence.
His connection to Misha Mansoor (Series 2 #171) as co-creator of the Horizon Devices Precision Drive and as bandmate documents the collaborative, engineering-oriented approach to gear that defines Periphery as an organization. His connection to Per Nilsson (Series 2 #174) of Scar Symmetry — a fellow progressive metal guitarist with a similarly extensive technical approach to guitar — reflects the broader progressive metal community that Periphery helped define.
Internal Links:
- Misha Mansoor, Holcomb’s Periphery bandmate and Horizon Devices Precision Drive co-developer at #171
- Mattias IA Eklundh of Freak Kitchen, a fellow technically adventurous progressive metal guitarist at #173
- Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry, a fellow progressive metal guitarist with a similar technical orientation at #174
- Fredrik Thordendal of Meshuggah, the foundational influence whose extended range approach Periphery developed at #166
Frequently Asked Questions: Mark Holcomb Periphery Guitars & Gear
What guitar does Mark Holcomb play?
Holcomb’s primary guitars are PRS Mark Holcomb signature models — his own development with Paul Reed Smith. Current Core model (2025): mango top, 25.5-inch scale maple neck, ebony fretboard with 20-inch radius, Seymour Duncan Scarlet (neck) and Scourge (bridge) pickups, Holcomb Burst purple finish. For standard six-string Periphery songs, he plays the 2023 PRS SE Mark Holcomb off-the-shelf stock (the SE prototype from late 2015 was his main studio guitar through Periphery 3). He also plays the PRS SE Mark Holcomb SVN seven-string for extended-range material and a custom PRS 8-string for eight-string Periphery songs.
What is the Holcomb Burst finish?
The Holcomb Burst is the signature dark purple finish that Mark Holcomb developed in collaboration with PRS Guitars. Per Holcomb: “I’ve always loved purple. Not Barney-purple, but a classier, darker purple.” He went into the PRS paint room with his artist relations contact Rich Hannon (who previously worked in the PRS paint department) and mocked up colors until they found the specific rich, deep purple that became the Holcomb Burst. The finish appears on both the PRS Core and SE Mark Holcomb models and has become one of the most recognizable guitar colorways in progressive metal.
What are the Seymour Duncan Alpha/Omega and Scarlet/Scourge pickups?
The Alpha (neck) and Omega (bridge) were the original pickup set designed for the PRS SE Mark Holcomb in collaboration with Seymour Duncan — developed to provide “tight low-end response, aggressive attack, and clear note definition” for metal while handling clean tones and mid-gain applications. The Scarlet (neck) and Scourge (bridge) are the updated pickup set on the current Core model — delivering “focused low-end punch and crystal-clear articulation” with improved coil-splitting character. Both sets were voiced in the context of Holcomb’s Fractal Audio Axe-FX II XL to ensure consistent performance across all his Axe-FX presets.
What amplifier does Mark Holcomb use?
Primary live and studio amp modeling: Fractal Audio Axe-FX (II XL, then III). The Axe-FX is used as the preamp/modeling stage, with Peavey 6505+ heads used as power amps for the Axe-FX signal in live performance contexts. Earlier amp documentation includes PRS Archon (clean, crunch, and high-gain), Peavey 5150 II, and PRS MT15 (used for clinics as a lower-wattage alternative to the Archon).
What is the Horizon Devices Precision Drive?
The Horizon Devices Precision Drive is a pedal co-designed by Misha Mansoor with the Horizon Devices company — a combined gate and drive unit specifically engineered for the djent/progressive metal approach. Its gate function eliminates noise between palm-muted notes (the silent spaces are critical to the djent aesthetic), while its drive section adds gain tightening before the amplifier. Mark Holcomb uses it alongside the Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor for comprehensive noise management in his high-gain, extended-range guitar context.
How did Mark Holcomb join Periphery?
Holcomb joined Periphery in 2011-2012 after submitting a guitar-playing audition video to Misha Mansoor that demonstrated his technical and stylistic fit with the band. He had been a Periphery fan before becoming a member — making the transition from audience to bandmate through the 2010s-era mechanism of online video audition that digital communication enabled. His specific role in the band is as the third guitarist alongside Mansoor and Jake Bowen, contributing lead guitar, melodic, and atmospheric elements to Periphery’s triple-guitar sound.
What makes the PRS Mark Holcomb signature unusual in the progressive metal context?
PRS (Paul Reed Smith) guitars are primarily associated with rock, blues, and mainstream metal — not the extended-range, djent-oriented progressive metal context that Ibanez and Jackson have traditionally dominated. Holcomb’s PRS signature models introduced the PRS brand and construction philosophy into the djent/progressive metal market, offering players the PRS quality standard (careful construction, excellent hardware, specific tonal character from carefully selected tonewood combinations) in a guitar specified for the technical demands of modern progressive metal (25.5-inch scale for drop tunings, extended range SVN model, high-output specialized pickups). PRS’s artist page notes that Holcomb “played a major role in popularizing the use of extended range guitars in recent years.”
