I've successfully used a trick, documented somewhere in the archives, that allows empty voice staves to be hidden in a score. The trick involved defining a "RemoveEmptyStaff" context, and changing some of the engravers normally used.
I am trying to accomplish the same thing for a score containing a tabulature staff and voice. The score is a lead sheet consisting of vocal melody, lyrics and chords. I want to add tabulature in certain parts of the song to show a guitar lick, but do not want empty tabulature staves to appear for the rest of the song. I am currently using version 2.10.17 - if it will help, I can include the syntax, as it currently stands, which produces the output including tab part.