Freaky Rob's Rhythm Test: Why the Fender American Professional Stratocaster SSS Passes Every Time

For producer, guitarist and Grammy Award winner Freaky Rob, evaluating a guitar often starts with an open E chord.

“I typically go to the neck pickup position and strum a regular E major chord or a nice open chord,” he says. “I want something where I can really hear the resonance of the pickups. I'm trying to hear how round the bass is, because a bass tone can make or break a guitar for me. I like my guitars to have warmth. I don't like them to be too thin, but I don't like them to be too muddy, either. The American Professional Strat sounds open. The chord is breathing. I'm hearing mids. I'm hearing highs. I'm hearing lows. I love the balance of frequencies I'm hearing.”

The Rhythm Test

"I love lead guitar playing, but I almost love rhythm guitar playing even more,” says Rob. “You have to find a part, pick it and stick it. So, when I'm doing my rhythm test, there are a few different things I'm looking for. For one, I'm looking for transients—literally, the sound you get from picking the strings without holding a note. Under the notes, it almost feels like I'm playing a snare drum. It almost feels like I have drums at my feet with this guitar. The neck also has the perfect string height so I can get up under the strings, and the Deep C neck shape lets me move around effortlessly. I can play chord stuff. I can play lead lines. I can get from here all the way up to there as fast as I would like to. The American Professional Strat passes the funk test for sure.”

Getting the Sound Out Front

"I'm looking for punch in the tone,” explains Rob. “I'm looking for warmth, but I'm also looking for something that can cut through a mix. With this guitar, when I go up high and hit those sparkle moments, it cuts and bites through the mix so well.

Tone for All

"The Fender American Professional Strat SSS would be a great guitar for anybody,” says Rob. “It has great tone across the board, and the Fender V-Mod III pickups are the stars of the show. They're amazing."