First things first, Brent Hinds does not endorse the Chibson Placebo Pedal. But that did not stop the legendary instrument company, Chibson USA from paying an employee to fly out to Atlanta, GA simply to ask the Mastodon guitarist for his endorsement. According to an anonymous source close to the Chibson USA camp, a Chibson employee scouted out Hinds' residence for several days and monitored his daily activity. Apparently, on Day 3 of the stakeout, the Chibson employee made unsuccessful contact with the guitarist. Two additional on-camera attempts were made with which the company shamelessly included as part of their most recent ad campaign for the Placebo Pedal.
Upon its release, The Placebo Pedal received rave reviews among musicians and boutique pedal aficionados and was featured in both Guitar World and Guitar.Com
However, it came as a surprise to everyone in the music industry when Chibson USA shamelessly incorporated footage of their employee illegally entering Hinds' home, startling Hinds', his wife, and their dog. In an act of self-defense Hinds strikes the Chibson employee. In other scenes in the same ad, you can see footage of Hinds working on his motorcycle and dining out at a local restaurant, completely oblivious that he was being recorded.
The company's CEO commented that he felt "...the footage was obtained legally and we reached out to their team and charges are being filed. We feel that we did nothing wrong and are glad to put the whole thing behind us."There is just no telling what lengths Chibson USA will go to. If you want to pick up a Placebo Pedal, they're probably already gone...but try here! Brent Hinds could not be reached for comment.