First time posting, looking for some gcb95 advice

[D strange]

Hi,

Last year in lock down I decided to mod my first pedal.a USA Vox V847, it turned out great! I put a Castledine icar pot in it, a yellow fasel (couldn't get hands on a halo or stack of dimes), true bypass. I changed the 0.22uf caps out for polyester film caps, and the 0.01uf for polystyrene 125v caps. I changed out the MPSA18 transistors for BC109b and a few resistor changes... Q 68k, midrange 2.2k and put I'm a 47k to make up for the volume drop after the true bypass.

So..... I have now started my JH-1B (GCB95) so for I have changed out the caps and resistors to the Sam values I put in the vox. I have put the BC109bs in (seems a little dark then they do in the vox). I may leave the hotpots in rather than go for the icar this time but not sure.

So here is my question.. Unlike the vox  the GCB95 has a buffer, if I leave the buffer in after the true bypass mod will I still lose volume like I did with the vox? If so not a problem I will just change a resistor again.

I understand what the buffer does when the pedal is bypassed but what effect does the buffer have when the pedal is actually engaged? I don't really wanna take it out only to find that I preferred it in so I would really like to know the effects of what the pedal sounds like engaged with and without the buffer.

Also can anyone tell me how a modern red fasel compares to the yellow and where in the UK I could find a stack of dimes, TDK or halo style inductor? A lot of guys that did sell halo inductors separately in the UK now don't as they want you to by their full drop in kits.

I like that warm soupy wah tone if that makes sense