MIchael Angelo Batio (or MAB) is considered one of the leading men in shred guitar playing, since the 80s he has been blowing audiences away with his virtuoso skill and speed, both with his former band Nitro and his solo instrumental projects. One of the big draws MAB has is that he is one of the few truly ambidextrous guitarists in the music industry at the minute, with his custom made guitars being designed with that in mind, allowing him to play with both hands at the same time. By far, his most famous creation was the Quad guitar he had built for him in the 80s while he was still with Nitro. The Quad guitar is one of the most mind bending examples of concept versus playability. Arranged in an X shape, the quad guitar is essentially just two right handed and two left handed guitars joined in the middle, with the upper right and left necks being seven stringed instruments, while the bottom right and left necks are standard six strings. The construction of the Quad allows it to be transported quite easily, all four necks are connected to a X shape back plate and they can be removed with catches meaning it can be broken down easily and packed away safely. Imagine the size of the hardcase required to move that guitar in it's constructed form, it would never get through most airports.The original Quad was stolen from a Nitro show in the mid 80s after the band played a show in El Paso, Texas. The guitar was presumed to be lost forever and seeing as it was a one of a kind, MAB had pretty much resigned himself to never getting in back. However when he was playing a Dean Guitars showcase in England in 2004, a fan turned up to the show with a guitar case in hand and much to his surprise, he had acquired the top two seven string guitars from the Quad and brought them to the showcase to return them to their rightful owner. The two lower guitars are still missing, but MAB is halfway back to having his most original, most insane guitar to date.