You are right. I've had a minty OG Famicom for over a year now, but I've never actually used it since I've had an AV Famicom for years. It's a lot more evocative of the Game & Watch era than the rest of the Nintendo dynasty... And it's a lot more Japanese, or Asian really. I mean, Azuki bean red and Gold? That's not a console designed for the sensibilities of an international audience ... It's definitely a console by Japan for Japan in the early 80s.
Really, the shift came not from Famicom to Super Famicom, but from Famicom to NES. Once they realized they had a cash cow on their hands, they iterated toward removeable controllers, the lockout chip, the third party licensee system, and in house manufacturing of all carts. So the Super Famicom is actually based on the NES model of design, not the Famicom.
But I digress.. You've turned me on to making the Famicom the 8-bit console to invest my money and time in. I eagerly await your setup pics for inspiration.