A Clip from The 78 Project Movie: Tube Test at Leeds Radio

We like to say that The 78 Project bridges 100 years of technology.  And it’s true that in the course of shooting our movie the Presto has met and befriended many an iPhone.  It’s the simple beauty of the technology and design behind the Presto that invokes the fascination that drives The 78 Project…

Just past a bustling artisan market, behind a graffiti-ed gate on North 7th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, lies a 2,500 square foot vacuum tube wonderland named Leeds Radio.  For the vintage amp and hi-fi fanatic, it’s a dream come true, and for those who simply appreciate weird science and beautiful design, it’s a fascinating place to spend an afternoon.

Leeds RadioThe keeper of this shop is Richard Matthews, a man who knows his tubes – each and every one of the more than 100,000 he has stashed on floor-to-ceiling shelves.  He also knows our tubes, because we bought them from him, and bring them back periodically for him to test.  Our Presto relies on Richard’s sage knowledge of vacuum tubes to run its best, we just like to shoot the breeze with him and to pick his brain about technology.

On an unseasonably hot Saturday a few weeks ago, Richard pulled open the gate and invited us in with our camera to talk about Prestos, Tesla coils, radios and every topic in between, and to give our tubes a good going-over before our next road trip begins…