Universal Audio revives the Showman ’64: now as a free plugin (limited time)

By Dara Christine – October 3, 2025

UA transforms the iconic 100W Fender Showman into a plugin that faithfully captures its clean headroom, vibrato, and sonic power. Best of all: it’s free to download—for now.

Legendary roots under the hood

Universal Audio has once again cracked open the time capsule to deliver a pinpoint recreation of one of the cleanest, most unfiltered amps of the ’60s: the 1964 Fender Showman. Originally built to power closed-back cabinets with brute force and zero reverb, this 100-watt beast had massive headroom and stayed clean even when pushed. In plugin form, UA nails the circuit architecture — from the solid-state rectifier that keeps the low end tight when you crank it, to the subtle, organic movement of the built-in vibrato

No bells or whistles, just what the original had: Volume, a 3-band EQ (Bass, Mid, Treble), Speed and Intensity for the vibrato, and the classic Normal/Bright switch that brings in that extra sparkle from the ’60s. You also get input and output gain staging and a Room control to add natural ambience — ideal for studio realism.

This plugin shines wherever you need clean tones with personality: surf, country, blues, classic rock, or as a strong foundation for layering drive. UA includes smart presets labeled “Rhythm,” “Warm,” “Modern,” and “Country” to get you going. It’s not trying to be clever — it just does the job, right. And yeah, the Showman has serious history: think The Beach Boys, Keith Richards, and anyone else who wanted stage-level clean tone before “hi-fi” was a thing.

The best part? It’s free (for now)

The Showtime ’64 runs inside any major DAW (VST, AU, AAX) or as a native UA app. You can activate it on up to three devices. It’s available as a free download for a limited time, after which it becomes part of UA’s Spark subscription platform — but you still get a 14-day full-access trial even after that.