• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fender Precision Ben Shepherd "exact model" question

P

pattonpwr

Nov 5, 2011
17
1
#1
wondering if you guys could help me find out the exact model he's actually playing right now (Ben Shepherd kickass bass player from Soundgarden). I know it's a usa precision with a badass ii bridge.. could be the 50s precision bass reissue below?

0131702303_frt_wmd_001.jpg


(of course in black)

below are Ben's recent live pics. thx in advance!

Link Removed
Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
 
#11
Randall said:
You have a precision and want the look of his bass? I figure if you already have a USA precision you would be set :eyebrow:
Not much better than that unless you go the custom shop route.
Click to expand...

no no, not going for the looks but for the sound. I got an '83 elite II (beauty!), very happy with it but I was just curious about this one. Never played a plain precision and Ben's looks and sounds badass. For the price of my current bass i could almost buy 2 of these :) If i ever buy the classic 50's mex I will have to spend some extra bucks for a badass bridge ii (same as in my elite ii) + set it up at the luthier shop as my band plays in C & G
 
#13
Ben seemed to be having a hard time getting by in recent years. That is, before Soundgarden got back together. That being said, I could see him going for the MIM 50's Precision Bass in an effort to use something a bit more economical. I don't think Fender has offered the AVRI 57 Precision in black for some time.
 
#15
There was a SPIN article that came out when the band got back together. It went so far as to say that Ben was homeless for a time. There was a followup from him (on Music Radar IIRC) that SPIN's article was not accurate, but he didn't exactly refute it either. It said that he was basically "couch surfing" for a while, but didn't really get into his personal financial situation. But it does seem that the Soundgarden reunion may have been well timed for both him and Kim Thayil from a financial standpoint.
 
#17
Yeah I've no doubt Thayil and Shepherd are not nearly as loaded as Cornell, but I very much doubt the bass choice is to do with not having a grand laying around...I would suggest it's the neck profile as he's a fan of vintage necks...
 
#18
Chris Cornell & Matt Chamberlin have both had the benefit of being able to go on the road on a steady basis, and are probably doing okay for themselves. And when you look at the songwriting credits on the last two Soundgarden records I think you would see an increasing number of Cornell credits there. That's where the money has been since up until recently Soundgarden probably hadn't been on the road in over a decade.

Anyhow, as for the bass itself? If we are talking about the Classic 50's Precision, you can get one used for about $500. But I tend to see more of the 2TSB versions on the market. I had one myself in the aforementioned 'burst. And I even put a Badass II bridge on it, too. The neck on that bass feels a little bit more chunky that the AVRI 57 Precision, which this could also be (albeit an older model). My 50's P-Bass was okay, but I just don't dig maple fingerboards that much and I wound up replacing it with a roadworn Jazz bass.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back