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What are the best hum-cancelling single coil pickups? (not humbuckers though)

If you want a hum cancelling pickup its going to be a humbucker. All stacked designs are humbuckers.

Kinmans rule the roost by a long shot.

i think the kinmans are good sounding pups, just not the flavor i like. they were a little bright and dry. the new duncan stack is pretty sweet but i havent heard the new version thats going to be released. there are a few on here who have that might chime in

If you play with OD most of the time, look at the Dimarzio Virtual Vintage Blues in the neck, 54 in the mid, and Solo in the bridge. The are a bit dark, but are great for distorted work (for passives, that is).

Best is so subjective. Best is what works BEST for your needs. In that spirit, what I have found best for MY needs is the Dimarzio VV's. Yes, I like Kinmans..... but I don't have the cashola to drop on them. So, the VV's work very well for not a lot of dough.

EMG's, Lawrence amp; Lace certainly have their loyal followers. While I have used ( and liked ) EMG SA's and various Lace pups over the years, for me, the Dimarzio VV's have more of a single coil feel. They don't sound like a humbucker. Just great sounding single coil tone that happens to be very quiet.

All have their good and bad points. The key is finding the set that works best with your gear and what your ear likes to hear.

kinmans are the ones for me so far. that is till the new duncan stacks is released.

I second the Dimarzio VV. A friend A/B'd the VV with his Kinmans in front of me and the Kinmans did sound a little brittle in comparison.

But I've got a guitar set aside for the new Duncans when they come out.

The DiMarzio VV's are pretty good, but if you're looking for true, killer vintage tone or hotter vintage, there's no substitute for Kinmans.

The new Fender SCN pickups in my American Deluxe V-neck Strat sound very good to me, although they are a bit warmer than vintage single coils.