Do you find one type of strings stay in tune better than others on lap steel?

[David DeLoach]

I've got a high end cast aluminum lap steel that tends to go out of tune fairly quickly.

I've put graphite on the nut and bridge, and stretch the strings out pretty good, but they still go up to 9 cents sharp or flat in a matter of minutes.

I'm using Ernie Ball electric guitar strings on it.

Thanks!

[Stanislav Paskalev]

It is quite possible that the entire aluminum body expands or shrinks based on the air temperature and your body heat, therefore affecting the tuning. Mine are all wooden ones and I haven't seen that big of a difference after the strings have settled in. (pyramid 8-string set for lap)

[D Schubert]

According to musical legend, Les Paul's aluminum bodied electric guitar ("the log") was plagued with tuning problems. When he played on a stage with a bright spotlight, that was enough to cause the aluminum to expand and throw the whole thing out of tune within the span of a single song.

[George Piburn]

I've been a D'Addario OEM Dealer and loyalist for over 30 years,

i've built and sold hundreds of Lap Steels Worldwide all come with our custom gauged sets as a standard.

GeorgeBoards™ stands by American Made D'Addario.

[Mike Neer]

Do you use a stand or play on the lap?

[Bill Groner]

I use SIT strings C6 tuning on all my steels. I have never tried any other brand of strings. 3 steels are maple, 3 are 6061 aluminum. The wood steels stay almost in tune all year long.
By almost I mean very close to being spot on. The aluminum ones aren't bad, but you have to figure if you tuned them while they were on your lap and "warmed up" they will be one thing. If you pull one out of it's stand at room temperature, chances are it will be a little flat until it reaches the previous "warm up" temperature you tuned it at. 70* vs 98.6* (that's a big difference)

Most pedal steels use aluminum for the body. I figured there had to be some merit to this. It was the reason I built 3 of mine out of aluminum. There is a reason, pedal steels have a unique voice aside from the pedals and knee levers. I really think aluminum is superior to wood, for a lot of reasons. My aluminum ones are clad top and bottom with 3mm acrylic, which I think helps to aid the keeping the temperature more stable. (insulation) So, I guess I think maybe the material your steel is made from has more to do with strings staying in tune?

[David DeLoach]

Do you use a stand or play on the lap?

I play it in my lap.

For some reason I'm cool with my Stringmaster on its 4 legs, but I prefer my lap steels not be on a stand. But I'll give playing on a stand a try and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks!