Ok, so maybe have the better gear as the "carrot" for winning/playing as normal, but reduce the gear advantage, enough for it not make that big a difference. Just always make sure the higher tier gear looks better, then people can just concentrate on complaining about class inbalances. When some new gear comes out, make it so the lower tier is buyable for fresh 50s or people new to pvp. Maybe make it so no one is ever less than one tier from the top.