Joni Mitchell
Heralded as one of the greatest folk, pop and jazz musicians of the 20th Century, Joni Mitchell’s sound has been copied by many but matched by none.
Image Credit: Paul C Babin
How to get the Joni Mitchell Tone
Joni Mitchell’s guitar tone has been shaped by a number of factors, but unlike many of her peers, the gear used has been secondary to her unique sound. While the guitars and amplifiers themselves used are important to her overall sound, the tunings used on her earlier songs are responsible for achieving her most iconic tones.
In more recent years (1980s onwards) Joni attempted to recreate those tones on-stage through a combination of electric guitars and a Roland VG8 pedal.
Acoustic
Martin D-28
Throughout her career, a Martin D-28 dreadnought acoustic has been a mainstay of her line-up. First used by the singer songwriter from 1966, D-28s remain her guitar of choice when playing an acoustic set, though she has also been known to use the smaller Martin D-45 guitar on occasion as well.
The one that started it all was a 1956 D-28 gifted to Mitchell by a US Marine Captain stationed at Fort Bragg, as recounted in Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers' book Rock Troubadours and republished on the Joni Mitchell website.
The ’56 Martin had travelled with the Marine during a tour of Vietnam and was damaged by shrapnel during an attack on his base.
“I don't know whether the explosion did something to the modules in the wood, but that guitar was a trooper, man," Joni said of the Martin. What effect the damage would have had on the guitar’s tone is unknown but whatever the difference, it was enough for Joni to call it her “beloved” guitar, the likes of which she would never be able to replace.
The original Martin D-28 was used on many of Joni’s earlier albums, before being stolen in the early ‘70s making its last recording in the hands of Joni Mitchell the 1972 album For The Roses. This would be replaced by one or more D-28 guitars that Joni would play and record with throughout the years, along with a Martin D-45.
Specs
Model: 1956 Martin D-28
Body: Sitka Spruce (top) Brazilian Rosewood (back & sides)
Fretboard: Rosewood
Notes: Shrapnel damage sustained from previous owner’s tenure during Vietnam war
Alternatives
Martin D-28
The Martin D-28 is still much loved by musicians the world over and sets the standard for how good a dreadnought guitar can sound.
They aren’t cheap, but you’ll struggle to find anything that sounds better outside of something custom-made by a luthier.
Sigma DT28
Sigma were once to Martin what Epiphone are to Gibson: copies of their most popular models made from cheaper materials and outside of the USA to keep costs down in an attempt to tap into a wider audience.
These days they’re more “brewed under licence” rather than official entry-level Martins, but if anything the new guitars are even closer to the guitars they take inspiration from in terms of build quality, tone and playability.
Alvares ABT60
The Alvarez ABT60 makes a good case as a low cost contender for playing Joni's music; as a baritone guitar it is more comfortable in lower tunings by design, and even with the Martin she had issues maintaining certain tunings.
Electric Guitars
Ibanez George Benson Guitars
As Joni’s interests became more jazz influenced, so too did her choice of guitar, adding several George Benson Ibanez acoustic electric guitars (each strung for different tuning) to her touring roster. Some sources online claim the exact model was a LGB300 VYS, but a Juliens auction from 2014 for one of the stage-used guitars describes it as a GB-10, which is more likely to be correct.
Some of the guitars used had a ‘natural’ finish, while others sported a sunburst effect; the guitar featured in the Juliens auction also includes Joni Mitchell’s name on the fretboard as a mother of pearl inlay, but it is unknown whether they all included this.
Parker Fly
In many of her most recent appearances, Joni has been seen using a Parker Fly – a guitar made from composite materials for a greater resonance and featuring piezoelectric pickups mated to a preamp, which emulate the sound of an acoustic guitar.
Presumably it was the latter feature that earned the guitar its place in Joni’s rig, which when combined with the Roland VG-8 pedal would have offered a wide range of tonal versatility.
The Fly has been out of production since 2016, though they can still be found on the secondhand market.
Specs
Model: Ibanez GB10 (George Benson Signature)
Body: Hollow Body, Single Cutaway, Spruce (top), Maple (back & sides)
Neck: 3-piece maple
Frets: 22
Roland VG-8
In Joni’s later touring years, a Roland VG-8 pedal was used to help emulate the tunings used on her guitars from earlier recordings. What started as handy piece of equipment that saves time between guitar changes ended up helping Joni fall back in love with songwriting, with the VG-8 being able to replicate the tones found in other guitars and amps as well as the benefits of easily adjustable tunings.
Per an interview with Roland Users Group in 1996, Joni had planned to give up on the music industry altogether, but after using the VG-8 at what was to be her final show, found the pedal gave her the versatility to experiment without having to travel with a large number of guitars in different tunings.
Using the VG-8 Pedal, she would go on to gift the world four more studio albums and one live album.
Roland VG-8
The VG-8 was revolutionary in its day, and even today, boasts an impressive range of effects available on-tap.
Roland no longer sells the VG-8, but it is still readily available on the second-hand market at a fraction of the original cost.
Mr Black Mini Vintage Chorus Pedal
Though not used by Joni, the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble pedal uses the same chorus circuit as the Roland JC-120 amp, so can be used to get a similar effect.
The Boss CE-1 is almost as expensive as a vintage JC-120 these days, but fortunately there are a few modern day ‘clones’ to choose from, including the Mr Black Vintage Chorus Pedal, which specialises in ‘70s and ‘80s chorus pedal tones.
Roland VG-99
Effects pedals have come a long way since the Roland VG-8 was introduced.
While Roland’s latest take, the VG-99, doesn’t have the Joni Mitchell seal of approval, it’s not beyond the realms of belief that she would upgrade to it if she were to plan a live tour today.
Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120
Joni has used a Roland Jazz Chorus amplifier extensively, often paired with the Roland VG-8 Pedal and a combination of the George Benson Ibanez and a Parker Fly.
Joni has stated that the Roland Jazz Chorus was designed, in part to help her bring the sounds of her 1976 album Hejira to a live stage. There is some room for interpretation however, as the Jazz Chorus made its debut in 1975 (a year before Hejira was recorded), so it is possible that she had some input into an updated version of the amp which would be released later.
Interestingly, when Roland put together a timeline of the Jazz Chorus to celebrate its 40th anniversary, featuring testimonials from notable celebrity users, Joni Mitchell’s involvement was not mentioned. It should be noted however that Joni is famously reclusive when it comes to giving interviews, so her absence from the timeline could be from her not wanting to take part, and not indicative of a lack of involvement in development of the amp.
Despite being almost 50 years old, the JC-120 is still a popular amp for Roland, and is still available as part of their current catalogue. The solid state amp’s clean tones make it popular among jazz guitarists and the distinctive chorus from which it gets its name comes from two amps working in stereo.
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