I think it has been so long since a lot of people started, they forget how little you need to pvp. With faster skill gains, you would not even need to farm for "hours a day" to be able to play and pvp. Normally, on normal uo servers (non custom) you can make enough for lots of regs very easily, you can train chars afk, ect ect. Unless you are one of those that REFUSES to pvp without 50 of each pot, bolas, wands, full invuln armor ect, then you will be fine.
Being a custom server gives them the ability to add some nice new features and things easier, without changing the game too much. There could be tons of nice stuff that will spark a lot of pvp, new factions for example. Not to mention being a completely new world, new dungeons, towns ect, gives people a damn good reason to get out there and into the world to do things, and spark even more pvp, that is something hybrid will never have, because all of the vets have more than enough money/items that they don't have to ever do anything to go out into the world (with the exception of events like the scav hunts, code hunts, ect that got people out into the world).
I know a lot of you enjoyed how many people were out running around the world during the code hunt, and all the pvp it brought in the areas that have always been deserted. That is what it would be like for a long time after the start of a server. Sounds like a blast to me, and I do not have much time at all to play these days, but I know how easy it is to get pvp supplies and macro characters..