Steel Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar purchasing guide, look for stable woods with good tone.
Wood tends to shrink and change moisture content after being sawed.
The wood should also have good strength and rigidity. Good-tone wood is capable of producing a clear tone when it vibrates. Also, the wood must be properly sealed to maintain a constant moisture content. We want the moisture content of the wood to remain both constant and average throughout our manufacturing process, so that we can ship a steel guitar anywhere, any climate, and it changes very little.