Audio Assault has released Amp Locker 98, a free guitar amp simulation plugin dressed head-to-toe in Windows 98 aesthetics. Yes, it’s an April Fools’ release, but no, it’s not a joke. Well, it is, but it’s also a real guitar amp plugin.
If you grew up in the late 90s like me, this will be a huge nostalgia trip. The whole product page is styled like a 1998 website, with things like visitor counters, forum links, and a note that the site is “best viewed in Internet Explorer 4.0 at 800×600 resolution.”
I honestly can’t believe that almost 30 years have passed since then. And I know this makes me sound like an unc, but those were the days.
The plugin itself looks like something you’d install from a CD-ROM. It has pixelated graphics, pixelated gradients, the whole shabang. Audio Assault really nailed the era.
But here’s what makes this stand out from the usual April Fools’ jokes. Developers sometimes release gag plugins that don’t actually do anything, or slap a fake price on silly plugins that don’t do much.
Amp Locker 98 is the opposite. Audio Assault has a strong reputation for guitar amp emulations (they’re the team behind Amp Locker and Bass Locker), and the models inside are real, although the developer says they’re “modeled by ear from memory” and use almost zero CPU.
So they’re real guitar amp models, but designed to mimic older guitar software.
You get six amp models. The 800 (JCM800) for classic rock and crunch, the 5150 for tight high-gain metal, the Rectifier for modern heavy tones, the Twin for clean headroom, the Top Boost for overdriven tones, and the Bassman for classic crunch.
Each amp has independent Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, and Master controls, and there’s a built-in tube screamer.
There are no impulse responses or convolution. Audio Assault built a lightweight cab algorithm that includes mic movement, which only helps keep the CPU hit close to zero.
The developer also leaned into the 90’s era software annoyances on purpose. The plugin window is non-resizable, there’s no preset browser, and it intentionally ignores retina/HiDPI screens.
Despite the product page insisting on Windows 95/98/NT and a Pentium 133 MHz minimum, Amp Locker 98 runs on modern Windows, macOS, and Linux in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
The download also includes some silly Microsoft Paint wallpapers and a MANIFESTO.txt that discusses “DADAISM AND ITS CATASTROPHIC INFLUENCE ON OUR SANDWICHES.”
The fun never stops with this one.
It is listed as a “$299 value” and is free for a limited time. I’d recommend grabbing it now since it’s unclear whether the free offer will last. They obviously won’t sell it for $299, but I’m afraid it’ll only be available for a limited time, so definitely grab it if you like the vibe.
Even if you’re not in the market for another amp sim, the retro design alone makes it worth a look. This is easily one of the best April Fools’ plugin releases I’ve seen.
Download: Amp Locker 98 by Audio Assault (FREE)
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Last Updated on April 1, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
