Vox V847a wah stock vs mods opinions

[txrsm]

Good evening all!

I have a quick question for you all. Bought a Vox V847 used from GC and was stoked to get it and do a couple of the recommended mods. It arrived and to my dismay, it was actually a V847a with the SMD parts. I can't really say they listed it wrong because technically the back plate does say V847 but the guts are for sure that of the V847a. So with all that said...stock it leaves a bit to be desired. Not bad but not great. I have built pedals in the past and even modded several crybaby's and Thomas organ wahs. This is my first Vox and I really have always wanted one. I am keeping within a tiny budget at this time.
I have done searches and although I find posts of people who have tried mods, there typically isn't any "i was successful and it sounds so much better" follow ups.

If any of you have one or have had experience with mods, I would love your opinions on the worth of the options and possibly what parts improved the end result. Here are my options from least expensive to moderately expensive:

#1 - Just return it and continue waiting for a USA one to come up for a decent price.

#2 - Do the simple true bypass mod, remove the front treddle rubber spacers and rock on.

#3 - Do the true bypass mod and swap out the potentiometer. My concern with this is the strange pot pcb that would need to somehow fit the pot spacing. Which pot would drop in with the least amount of modifications?

#4 - Do 1 & 2 and attempt to do the vocal and Q mods. I'm not too excited about the pcb board thickness and there isn't much documentation on which to swap out. and are either of these worth it with this model?

#5 - Gut it and source all the parts to build from scratch. (I could do it but that would basically be the cost of the wah again)

My ultimate goal is to capture the sound of a vintage V846 which I know is way out of my price range. I appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you all and TGIF!

[willienillie]

#5 - Gut it and source all the parts to build from scratch.

I did that for a customer several months ago.  I saw no realistic way to use the factory PCB for the old 2-transistor circuit, so I built a new board on perf.  The only parts I reused were the inductor and battery snap.  It sounded great, nothing wrong with that inductor.  The customer loved it.  For the pot I used the current Dunlop HotPotz II (100K), a square box looking thing, as opposed to the black cylindrical one they used to offer.  Nice sweep.  I hard-wired it, no pot PCB.

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/potentiometer-dunlop-hot-potz-ii-crybaby-100-k

Edit: low quality pic.  The toggle is for sweep caps.

[txrsm]

Thanks so much for the response and inclusion of a pic. That's really great information and gives me food for thought. Btw great perf board work!