Actually, the Spyder is more of a tribute than the full on Entwistle bass. Differences are:
Different body size (thinner at waist, lower horn cutaway, etc.). Trust me - we went through a lot of work to get the body shape right on the custom I'm having built.
Control placement - Entwistle's controls were right up against the bridge.
Spyder webs - John's were more like wire; the Spyders have a much more consistent, standard design.
Inlays - Ovals come standard on the Spyder; John had note inlays in mother of pearl (which I'm replicating on my custom)
Fingerboards - John's were essentially flat. The Spyders have a radius.
Electronics - the Spyders use Anniversary electronics. John had Series I plus electronics (two master volume controls, plus a switch for choosing between them).
Headstocks - The main instruments John used had cone headstocks. The initial Spyder limited edition models had V headstocks, though I understand some conehead models have been made in the series.
I've owned a Spyder, and can tell you that what John had and what the Spyders are very different indeed. The Spyders capture the spirit of John's instruments very well, but they're not close replicas (which would be very expensive - trust me, I'm having one made, and it ain't cheap!). And it was done that way on purpose - an exact replica would put it out of the range of most folks - Susan told me as much when I visited the mothership a while back.
Alan
