Carl Martin Panama

The Carl Martin Panama is an all-analog, high-gain overdrive pedal voiced after what Carl Martin calls the hot-rodded British "brown sound" amps of the 1980s¹. Where the company's better-known PlexiTone covers classic Plexi and early Marshall territory, the Panama pushes into hotter, more compressed 1980s Marshall voicing, with a strong, articulate midrange and high gain potential¹. It was introduced in April 2019 at a US price of $199².

The pedal carries four controls: Gain, Level, Tone and a Damping knob that is unique to this model in the Carl Martin line¹³. Guitar World's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, found it delivers amp-like drive⁴, while MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown judged from the amount of gain on tap that it was "more of a distortion pedal than an overdrive"⁵.

A hot-rodded Marshall-style overdrive

Carl Martin has a solid reputation for Marshall-style overdrives, and the Panama extends that lineage into 1980s hot-rod territory³. The maker describes it as a hot-modded British overdrive with strong, articulate midrange and high gain potential¹, and Guitar World's launch coverage framed it as a pedal offering classic Eighties-style distortion tones².

Where it sits on the overdrive-to-distortion spectrum depends on who you ask. Carl Martin labels it a British hot modded overdrive, but Pete Thorn, demoing the pedal on his YouTube channel, said: "British hot modded overdrive is how they label this one I really think it's a distortion pedal but they say overdrive"⁶. MusicRadar reached a similar conclusion, writing that "Based on the sheer amount of gain available (as heard in Pete Thorn's demo below), we'd say this was more of a distortion pedal"⁵. For a player, that means the Panama is best thought of as a high-gain pedal: it can do pushed-amp overdrive at lower Gain settings, but its natural home is heavier crunch and saturated lead tones.

The circuit is analog throughout¹⁸, and it uses Carl Martin's DC/DC converter circuitry, which allows the pedal to run internally at plus and minus 12V from a 9V supply³². Delicious Audio noted this is the same converter design Carl Martin uses across its line, and it is part of why the pedal has the headroom it does³. The whole thing ships in Carl Martin's anodized enclosure⁵⁸.

The controls: Gain, Level, Tone and Damping

Four knobs and a footswitch. The footswitch turns the effect on or off¹.

The Damping control is the Panama's distinguishing feature, and the reason it behaves differently from the rest of Carl Martin's Marshall-voiced pedals. Carl Martin's own support documentation explains: "The Damping knob is a unique feature on the Panama, it adjusts the tightness and response of the low end"⁹. The maker describes it as adjusting low-end response for either a tight, focused attack or an open, dynamic feel¹.

Pete Thorn explained how it works in practice: "with this damping control as you turn it up it cuts base", letting you tighten the low end and raise the gain without the sound getting loose and flubby⁶. Premier Guitar's launch coverage described the same behavior from the other direction: turn the Damping up and the distortion becomes more aggressive, more cutting and clear; turn it down for a deeper, thicker sound with more bass dynamics⁸. Guitar World added that turning the control up produces more aggressive and cutting EVH-type sounds².

Power: 9V DC, center-negative

The Panama runs on a 9V DC center-negative power input¹. It draws about 65 mA according to Carl Martin's current product page¹; earlier press coverage specified a regular 9V 100mA external power supply³⁸, so any supply rated at 100 mA or more covers it.

How it differs from the PlexiTone and PlexiRanger

Carl Martin positions the Panama against its own Plexi-family pedals. In the company's words, the PlexiTone and PlexiRanger do the classic Plexi and early Marshall voicing, whereas the Panama is hot-rodded 1980s Marshall: more gain, more compression, and a Damping control the others lack¹. Guitar World's reviewer also heard the family resemblance, writing that "The Panama's Brit tones probably owe a lot to that pedal, as well as to the classic amp that inspired it, of course"⁴.

Pete Thorn put it more simply in his demo: "it really reminds me of the plexitone in many ways but it's got this control on it called damping"⁶. So the choice between them comes down to era and gain: classic late-1960s Plexi crunch versus hotter 1980s saturation, with the Damping knob as the practical differentiator for tightening the low end at high gain.

Who uses it

Carl Martin lists two artists as Panama users on its artist page: Pelle Holmberg and Faruque Hossain¹⁰.

Pete Thorn's demo

Pete Thorn demoed the Panama on his YouTube channel in February 2019. He walked through the four controls, focused on how the Damping knob cuts bass as you turn it up so the low end stays tight at higher gain settings, and compared the pedal's character to the PlexiTone while noting he considers it a distortion pedal rather than an overdrive⁶.

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