; Ben Shepherd Active : 1990 â `` 1997 Instruments : bass Release contributions : all Soundgarden releases from Badmotorfinger ( 1991 ) to A-Sides ( 1997 ) Ben Shepherd first auditioned for the role of bassist in Soundgarden in 1989 , immediately after Hiro Yamamoto left , but was turned down because he could not play the songs well enough . ; Ben Shepherd Active : 1990 â `` 1997 , 2010 â `` present Instruments : bass Release contributions : all Soundgarden releases from Badmotorfinger ( 1991 ) to Telephantasm ( 2010 ) Ben Shepherd first auditioned for the role of bassist in Soundgarden in 1989 , immediately after Hiro Yamamoto left , but was turned down because he could not play the songs well enough .