My issue with bans in Commander is that it is just not an effective way to balance a format with no set restrictions. There are so many cards in all of Magic, there is no way to create a properly balanced game without an extensive ban-list that completely changes the identity of the format.

That said, I think your idea of Vintage Commander as a separate thing could be a good one. If people want to self-govern, let them play normal Commander, but if they want something a bit more balanced from the get go they could have Vintage.