Panama
- Hot-modded British overdrive with strong, articulate midrange and high gain potential.
- Unique Damping control adjusts low-end response for either tight, focused attack or open, dynamic feel.
- Flexible tone shaping with Gain, Tone, Level, and Damping controls for easy adaptation to any setup.
- Internal DC/DC converter provides ±12V headroom from a standard 9V supply, ensuring clarity at all gain levels.
- All-analog, compact design built for responsive, expressive playing.
All about Carl Martin Panama
When we designed Panama, we weren’t chasing nostalgia — we were addressing a problem we’ve all run into. You dial in a classic British-style overdrive, push the gain, and suddenly the tone starts to feel soft, loose, or overly compressed. The attack disappears, and the sound loses definition.
Panama is our way of taking control of that moment.
At its core, Panama is a hot-modded British overdrive with a strong, articulate midrange and plenty of gain on tap. But what really sets it apart is the Damping control. Instead of shaping EQ in the traditional sense, Damping lets you adjust how tight or loose the low end responds under gain.
Turn Damping up, and the overdrive becomes more aggressive, focused, and cutting — tighter lows, faster response, and more definition. Dial it back, and the sound opens up, getting thicker and deeper with more low-end movement and dynamic feel. It’s not about adding frequencies, but about controlling how the circuit reacts when you play.
That flexibility makes Panama easy to adapt on the fly. Different guitars, amps, cabinets, or rooms all respond differently — and with Gain, Tone, Level, and Damping, you can fine-tune the feel just as much as the sound.
Under the hood, Panama uses our DC/DC converter circuitry, allowing the pedal to run from a standard regulated 9V supply while operating internally at ±12V. The extra headroom keeps the overdrive clear and controlled, even at higher gain settings, and gives the circuit room to breathe.
All analog, compact, and built to respond — Panama is about shaping overdrive from the inside out.
Hear it in action
Watch and hear this product in use. Select more videos below.
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FAQ
Quick answers about this pedal — shipping, power, use-cases and more.
What kind of pedal is the Carl Martin Panama?
The Panama is a high-gain overdrive/distortion pedal voiced after those hot-rodded British “brown sound” amps of the 1980s. It delivers that classic roaring Marshall tone associated with 80’s hard rock and early metal (the name “Panama” itself is a nod to Van Halen’s famous tune and tone). Essentially, it gives you vintage 80’s amp drive in a pedal, from crunchy rhythm to screaming lead.
What does the Damping control do?
The Damping knob is a unique feature on the Panama – it adjusts the tightness and response of the low end. Turning up the Damping tightens the bass and makes the distortion more aggressive and cutting (great for fast palm-muted riffs – no “woofiness”). Turning down the Damping does the opposite: it loosens and deepens the low end, giving a thicker, heavier bass response for big, doom-y chords. In other words, Damping lets you fine-tune the pedal’s feel from tight and articulate to fat and woolly, so you can nail both the searing ’80s tones and more modern saturated sounds.
Is the Panama an analog pedal or digital modeling?
The Panama is all analog. Carl Martin built it using an internal charge pump that runs the pedal at ±12V, which gives it lots of headroom and an amp-like feel, but it’s not a digital modeler. No digital processing – just analog circuits creating those Marshall-style tones. That’s why it responds so organically to playing dynamics and volume knob changes. If you’re worried about latency or “processed” feel – don’t; the Panama behaves like a real amp.
What are the recommended settings for a classic ’80s rock tone on the Panama?
A great starting point is: Gain around 1–2 o’clock (for a hot-rodded amp crunch), Tone about noon, Damping at 3 o’clock (to tighten bass), and Level to taste. That tends to yield a bright, crunchy distortion that’s reminiscent of that famous “brown sound” – aggressive but clear. For Van Halen-esque tones, you might favor the higher Damping as mentioned (tight low end) and perhaps roll the Tone back slightly if your rig is very bright. And of course, experiment: if you want more low-end thump like a modern EVH rhythm, lower the Damping and increase Gain. The pedal has a wide range, but many users report the sweet spot for ’80s rock is with Damping fairly high.
Can the Panama be used into a clean amp, or is it meant for an already driven amp?
The Panama is designed to sound like a high-gain amp on its own, so it works excellently into a clean amp (or directly into an effects return/power amp). Reviews actually recommend using it into a clean channel to hear its true voice. It basically becomes your amp’s drive channel. You can also slam it into a slightly broken-up amp for even more saturation, but generally a clean platform will let the Panama shine. It also sounds great direct into recording interfaces if you use cabinet simulation, due to its amp-like output and headroom.
How does the Panama compare to the PlexiTone or other Carl Martin drives?
The Panama is tuned for later-era, higher gain rock tones compared to something like the PlexiTone (which covers more ’60s/’70s Marshall sounds). The PlexiTone and PlexiRanger do the classic Plexi/early Marshall voicing, whereas the Panama is “hot-rodded 80s Marshall” – more gain, more compression, and that Damping control to shape bass response. In practical terms, if you want EVH, Ratt, early Ozzy (Jake E. Lee, etc.) tones – the Panama excels. It has a bit more modern aggression available than the PlexiTone. Also, the Panama’s Damping control sets it apart by allowing modern metal tightness or vintage sag, which PlexiTone doesn’t have. Many users pair the Panama for their high-gain needs and use PlexiTone for lower-gain classic rock needs.
What is the power requirement and can it use a battery?
The Panama, like Carl Martin’s other newer pedals, needs a standard 9V DC regulated power supply. It draws about 65 mA. It does not accept a battery – there’s no battery clip inside. The pedal uses an internal DC-DC converter to run at ±12V for better performance, which is part of why a battery isn’t practical. Use a good quality adapter (center-negative). It’s a high-headroom pedal, so giving it a stable power source will ensure it sounds its best.
