Gicas5

On sale for $2,400 from www.guitarcenter.com, this machine gun-shaped bass guitar boasts a "real built-in laser sight."

The Abstract Rockingbat is a deluxe, hand-carved model that retails for around £3,500. If Batman was a metalhead, this is the guitar he'd play.

Regarded as one of the fastest guitarists of all time, Michael Angelo Batio enjoyed minor fame in the 80s with hair metallers Nitro. He also taught the young Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) how to 'shred' - although the four-neck 'Quad' guitar, which he helped design, is probably his greatest gift to the world.Pic Dan Machnik

Designed by Abstract, these fluffy guitars - marketed under the name Dean Powder Puff Zee - will set you back an eye-watering £7000 each.

Featuring an extra-low seventh string, this decidedly ugly model - the Damien Death Cross - boats gothic cross inlays on the fretboard and an arrow headstock. Ooh, pointy.

The 'Angel Sword' guitar became a minor music blog phenomenon in 2007 when a model was found on eBay, on sale for $4500, prompting a flurry of incredulous comments on its OTT design. The perfect gift for the Iron Maiden/'World Of Warcraft' fan in your life.

Perhaps designed as an ironic comment on the 'guitar as penis substitute' theory, the 'Wangcaster' recently found its way into the Urban Dictionary as a slang term of abuse, as in: 'Well, you're a total wangcaster'.

This headache-inducing instrument, dubbed The Pikasso on account of its similarity to the cubist style of Pablo Picasso, features three necks and 42 strings. One of the few musicians able to make sense of it was jazz guitarist Pat Matheny, who used it on his track 'Into The Dream'. The show off.