I had bought a tone bar that looked something like this at Guitar Center. No brand name on it. I found it uncomfortable to use, so I did some research and decided on the Lap Dawg after seeing so many good reviews all over the internet. I noticed the nice deep ridge on the top as soon as I took it out of the tube. That makes it so much more steady. The weight is perfect. I am just a beginner as a squareneck resonator player. But I noticed an huge improvement as soon as I began playing with this one. The Jim Dunlop 926 Lap Dawg is just perfect.