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Michael Lee Firkins

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24 Grand Avenue - Guitar Tab

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Artist Overview

Michael Lee Firkins is one of the most technically gifted and criminally underappreciated electric guitarists to emerge from the late 1980s shred era. Based out of the Minneapolis area, Firkins burst onto the scene with his 1990 self-titled debut on Shrapnel Records, the legendary label that launched careers for players like Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, and Marty Friedman. What immediately set Firkins apart from the pack was his seamless blending of country-influenced bending and hybrid picking with blistering rock and fusion chops. He could shred with the best of them, but his phrasing always carried a vocal, melodic quality that gave his playing real emotional depth rather than pure pyrotechnics. For guitarists, Firkins is essential listening because he represents a masterclass in hybrid picking, wide-interval bending, and vibrato control. His right-hand technique combines flatpick and fingers in a way that lets him execute rapid-fire lines that would be impossible with a pick alone. His bends are massive, sometimes covering intervals of a minor third or more with pinpoint accuracy, evoking pedal steel guitar in a Hard Rock context. His vibrato is wide, controlled, and deeply musical, which is something every guitarist should study closely. He also has an incredible sense of dynamics, moving from whisper-quiet clean passages to screaming overdriven leads without losing musicality. Difficulty-wise, Firkins sits at an advanced to expert level. His combination of hybrid picking, legato runs, wide string skipping, and country-style open-string cascades requires years of dedicated practice to replicate convincingly. Even experienced shredders will find his country bending vocabulary challenging because it requires a very different muscle memory and ear than standard pentatonic playing. If you can play Firkins tunes cleanly, you can handle just about anything the electric guitar world throws at you.

What Makes Michael Lee Firkins Essential for Guitar Players

Firkins is a hybrid picking virtuoso, seamlessly combining a flatpick with his middle and ring fingers to execute rapid arpeggiated passages and banjo-roll style licks that are impossible with standard alternate picking alone.
His bending technique is directly influenced by pedal steel guitar. He regularly bends strings up a minor third or even a perfect fourth with impeccable intonation, often bending one string while holding another stationary to create double-stop effects that sound almost like a different instrument.
Firkins uses an exceptionally wide and controlled vibrato applied from the wrist, not the fingers. This gives his sustained notes a vocal, singing quality that cuts through even dense mixes and is one of the most identifiable aspects of his tone.
His legato technique is fluid and even, with hammer-ons and pull-offs executed at high velocity without the volume inconsistencies that plague many players. He frequently combines legato with tapped notes and open-string pull-offs for cascading, harp-like effects.
String skipping is a core part of his vocabulary. Firkins regularly leaps across two or three strings mid-phrase to create wide intervallic melodies that break out of the typical linear scale patterns most rock guitarists rely on.

Did You Know?

Firkins was discovered by Shrapnel Records founder Mike Varney through a demo tape, which was standard practice for the label that scouted raw shred talent throughout the late 1980s.

Despite being categorized as a shred guitarist, Firkins has cited country players like Albert Lee, Jerry Reed, and Brent Mason as major influences, which explains his distinctive hybrid picking approach in a rock context.

He is known for using extremely heavy string gauges compared to most shredders, often running .011 to .052 sets, which contributes to his thick tone and allows for more aggressive bending without the strings going sharp.

Firkins recorded much of his early work with surprisingly minimal effects processing, preferring to get his tone from his fingers, pickups, and a cranked amp rather than relying on a pedalboard full of gain stages.

His self-titled debut album from 1990 is widely considered one of the finest instrumental guitar records ever released on Shrapnel, a label with an extremely deep catalog of virtuoso releases.

Firkins has remained largely independent throughout his career, preferring to release music on his own terms rather than chasing mainstream commercial success, which has earned him a devoted cult following among serious guitarists.

He is also an accomplished blues and country session player, proving that his technique serves the music rather than existing purely for display purposes.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Michael Lee Firkins 1990

This self-titled debut is the definitive starting point. Tracks like 'Flash' and 'Runaway Train' showcase his hybrid picking, pedal steel bends, and blistering legato in a hard rock context. It is a complete encyclopedia of advanced rock guitar technique wrapped in genuinely memorable compositions.

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Chapter Eleven 2004

A more mature and blues-influenced record that highlights Firkins' dynamic range and phrasing. The songs here reward studying his vibrato, touch sensitivity, and how he builds solos from melodic motifs rather than pure speed. Great for intermediate-to-advanced players looking to develop musicality alongside technique.

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Yep 2013

This album leans heavily into Firkins' country and Americana roots, making it an excellent study resource for hybrid picking patterns, open-string licks, and chicken-picking techniques applied in a modern rock framework. Essential if you want to expand your right-hand vocabulary beyond standard flatpicking.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Firkins is most closely associated with Fender Stratocasters and Strat-style guitars, though he has also used various custom instruments over the years. His preference for Strat-platform guitars gives him access to the single-coil snap and clarity that supports his hybrid picking and bending style. He has also been seen with humbucker-equipped guitars for heavier tones, but the Stratocaster remains his signature voice.

Amp

Firkins has favored high-quality tube amplifiers throughout his career, with a known preference for Marshall-style amps and Fender-style clean platforms. He tends to push the amp into natural breakup rather than relying heavily on pedal-driven distortion, letting the tubes do the work for his overdriven tones. The result is a responsive, dynamic sound where picking attack directly controls the amount of grit.

Pickups

On his Strat-style guitars, Firkins typically runs single-coil pickups that deliver the bright, articulate attack needed for his hybrid picking and country bending techniques. The lower output of single-coils preserves the pick dynamics and note clarity that are essential to his style. For heavier material, he has used hotter bridge humbuckers, but his signature sound leans toward the chimey, expressive quality of a good single-coil in the neck or middle position.

Effects & Chain

Firkins keeps his effects chain relatively simple compared to many modern players. He uses a quality overdrive pedal (often a Tube Screamer type) to push his amp into saturation for lead work, along with some delay for spatial depth on solos. Reverb is used tastefully, and he occasionally employs a wah pedal for expressive filter sweeps. The core philosophy is that tone comes from the hands, the guitar, and the amp; pedals are just seasoning.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Firkins's signature instrument, the Strat's single-coil pickups deliver the bright snap and pick dynamics essential for his hybrid picking and expressive bending style. The three-position switching gives him tonal versatility from chimey neck clarity to cutting bridge bite.

Pedal

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9

Firkins uses this classic overdrive to push his tube amp into natural saturation for leads, preserving the responsive dynamics where his picking attack directly controls the amount of grit. The TS9's transparent drive complements rather than masks his core tone.

How to Practice Michael Lee Firkins on GuitarZone

Every Michael Lee Firkins song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice 24 Grand Avenue - Guitar Tab