> My question is: Is there a setting or option in LilyPond that allows > for changing the default behavior of half note stems in TabStaff? > Specifically, I’m looking for a way to switch the current > double-stem display to the more traditional single, shorter stem > that’s commonly used for half notes.
AFAIK we don't have such an option. Can you provide scans of real-world examples that show the 'more traditional' stems? If so, please open an issue in https://gitlab.com/lilypond/lilypond/-/issues and post them there. Werner