*Most* of my characters are slotted with a mixture of Generic IOs and Specials/Uniques (end, def, res, chance for bu, +tohit, kb protection, stealth, etc).
Only a couple of my 50s are slotted with Sets. Only ONE has a "complete" build (complete by my standards, nothing is +5).
I agree that many of the specific suggestions in my OP are either too much or unnecessary.
I also agree that there are some improvements (debuff toggle suppression when mezzed?) that could be made, and some specific sets (FF, Empathy, Sonic) that could use buffs.