Two of the greatest Nashville players you’ve never heard of are tearing up Lower Broadway, keeping a grand old tradition alive.
Robert’s Western World on Nashville’s Lower Broadway was home to the Don Kelley Band for as long as anyone can remember. Kelley’s band was an institution in Nashville, serving as a stepping stone for super-pickers like Guthrie Trapp, Brent Mason, Johnny Hiland, Daniel Donato, JD Simo, and more. “Slick” Joe Fick and Luke McQueary also came up through the ranks of the Don Kelley Band. After Don retired in 2020, Fick and McQueary enlisted drummer/vocalist Billy Van Vleet and kept Don’s old shift going, throwing down at Robert's Western World each night from Wednesday through Saturday. John Bohlinger and the PG team joined Kelley’s Heroes pre-shift at Robert’s to rundown their rigs.
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Bass
Joe Fick plays an Engelhardt Swingmaster bass that he bought brand new in 2004, and keeps it strung with Efrano gut strings (plain G, D, and A strings, plus a wrapped E). Fick uses a Barbera Transducers bridge pickup, which runs straight into Robert's Western World’s new house rig: a Fender Rumble 500 paired to two Trace Elliot Pro 4x10 speaker cabinets. The backup rig is a Peavey Pro Bass 500 head with a Peavey Tour 4x10, which belonged to the late, great local legend Dave Roe.
Tele
Luke McQueary plays a Fender Custom Shop Thinline Telecaster. It features a Fralin Blues Special in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Brent Mason Signature in the neck. Luke uses Jaykco guitar straps, a Snark tuner, String Joy and Dunlop strings, and Fred Kelly thumb picks.
Amp
McQueary plays a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb, which may still technically belong to his dad. He switched out the speaker to a Celestion Vintage 30.
Pedal
McQueary keeps it simple, and only plugs into an old modded Boss SD-1—which also belongs to his dad.
Shop Kelley's Heroes' Rig
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