“The relic on this guitar represents the destruction in Ukraine”: Guitarist whose home was hit by a Russian airstrike has finished his first build – and it's made with remnants of his destroyed apartment

SWFT GTRS Swell
(Image credit: SWFT GTRS)

Just over two years after his home was destroyed by a Russian airstrike, Ukrainian guitarist Nikita Zhemerenko has completed the first build of his new guitar firm, SWFT GTRS. 

Vying to bounce back from the tragedy, Zhemerenko – an avid guitar fan – launched his own brand to prove that “even in the most hopeless situations, one can fulfill one’s dream”.

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Phil Weller

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.