The Carl Martin Panama is a Carl Martin overdrive pedal, currently around $128.09. Close alternatives include the Black Country Customs Monolith and the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster. It pairs well with the Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head and the Hiwatt DR103H.
Carl Martin Panama
Carl Martin · pedal
The Carl Martin Panama is a British-voiced hot-modded overdrive created in collaboration with guitarist Pete Thorn, designed as a tone tightener and solo thickener with a Marshall-style midrange push. The Panama delivers instantly British tonal character without muddiness or excess low-end weight, thickening the signal in an inherently British way. Four controls cover Gain, Bass, Treble, and Volume for EQ-flexible shaping. Made in Denmark by Carl Martin.
What stands out
“The Panama delivers instantly British tonal character , thickening the signal in an inherently British way”
— from the listing
“Used for classic British rock, hard rock, and lead applications where the Marshall hot-mod character is the sonic goal”
— from the community notes
“The immediate British midrange thickening character”
— from the community notes
“Four controls cover Gain, Bass, Treble, and Volume for EQ-flexible shaping”
— from the listing
“At very high gain settings the bass and treble EQ interaction requires careful calibration to”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“Works most effectively into a clean to lightly driven amp where the Panama character provides the British push”
— from the community notes
- british
- hot
- midrange
- treble
- high gain
- rock
- hard rock
- bass
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Carl Martin Panama is commonly used in
- Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Hard Rock
- Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Carl Martin Panama
Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head
amplifier
32% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → tight)
Feed a high gain signal into Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head and it comes out closer to tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Hiwatt DR103H
Hiwatt
30% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → tight)
Stack Hiwatt DR103H on top and a high gain tone tightens toward tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Fender Dual Showman
amplifier
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Fender Dual Showman pushes a high gain tone toward tight
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo
Ebs
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited
Aguilar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a high gain signal into Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited and it comes out closer to tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Pedals that stack with the Carl Martin Panama
Strymon Eventide TriceraChorus
Strymon
21% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Keep Carl Martin Panama's high gain voice out front: Strymon Eventide TriceraChorus goes after Carl Martin Panama in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it
Comes later in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
19% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Soldano SLO
Soldano
18% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → tight)
Soldano SLO pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
17% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio's own tight character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2
Hungry Robot
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Keep Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2 after Carl Martin Panama in the signal chain, clear of Carl Martin Panama's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Hungry Robot The Borderland
Hungry Robot
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → modulated)
Hungry Robot The Borderland's modulated voice goes after Carl Martin Panama in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Carl Martin Panama's own high gain character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost
Matthews Effects
tonal matchFeed a high gain signal into Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost and it comes out closer to clean boost
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4
Jam Pedals
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Cheaper alternatives
Marshall Guv'nor
Marshall
50% similarityShared character: high gain settings, overdrive
Carl Martin Rock Drive
Carl Martin
50% similarityShared character: high gain settings, presence, treble
Mooer Micro Preamp US Gold 100
Mooer
49% similarityShared character: middle, high gain settings, clean
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Black Country Customs Monolith
Black Country Customs
58% similarityShared character: high gain settings, volume, presence
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
57% similarityShared character: signal, treble, hard rock
JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2
Jam Pedals
53% similarityShared character: high gain settings, treble, gain
Maxon OD808
Maxon
51% similarityShared character: hard rock, middle, bass
Fulltone OCD
Fulltone
50% similarityShared character: volume, hard rock, middle
Cornerstone Cio-Ant
Cornerstone
50% similarityShared character: overdrive
See all alternatives to the Carl Martin Panama (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Carl Martin Panama?+
The closest matches in character are the Black Country Customs Monolith, the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, the JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2. Budget picks: Marshall Guv'nor, Carl Martin Rock Drive, Mooer Micro Preamp US Gold 100. Boutique upgrades: Browne Amplification Gritador Classic Overdrive.
What pairs well with the Carl Martin Panama?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head, Hiwatt DR103H, Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 — Feed a high gain signal into Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head and it comes out closer to tight.
How much does the Carl Martin Panama cost?+
Around $128.09 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).