WASP Industries was formed in 1967, when Ian Johnstone arrived in Australia from New Zealand in 1967 teamed up with Doug Henderson (now at Powerhouse Studios), making valve amplifiers under the name of ‘Holden’ which was a New Zealand company owned by Ron Holden. Ian bought Doug out in 1968.

This WASP amp is a very rare find indeed. It at first seemed that this combo may have been made from a head, as Holden WASP were well-known for their piggy-back backline amps and PAs in the '70s. For instance, the WASP 200 watt bass amp became an industry standard for many years, being used by bands such as Sherbet, Hush, Flying Circus, Blackfeather and Jeff St. John’s Copperwine. Even Ian Johnstone couldn't recall the model when I contacted him to ask for his help...until he went home and looked through his old files and photographs! (I have included the photographs which Ian so generously supplied in the 'more pictures' link below - can anyone identify the band?)

He was then able to verify that the model was indeed made, but that it was an exceptionally rare model. Less than 20 were ever made in his factory in Glebe, Sydney!! This would almost certainly be the sole survivor of the line.

The speakers were an early indicator that the amp may be original, as he indicated that they used Alnico Eminence speakers at the time, which these are. Check out the 'more pictures' link below - there is a factory photograph kindly supplied by Ian Johnstone that clearly shows the Eminence speakers!

So here you have probably the only amp of its type remaining, and in unbelievably original and good condition. It's damn heavy, it's damn loud, and it's damn good-sounding! The character is very British, with a bright, aggressive tone from its 2 x EL-34 output. This 2-channel amp has built-in tremolo (a footswitch can be plugged in to the rear panel) and a 'presence' control. The only non-original part is the protective back panel, where a piece of plain plywood has taken the place of the original panel which has been mislaid some time in the past 30-something years. Even the 4 castors (wheels) are still the original items, as can be seen from Ian Johnstone's photograph below .

Extremely collectable, extremely usable, and extremely individual! I love this thing!

Sold to Tony in Queensland

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