Valve Jr head+cabinet arrived! now some pedals...

[Steben]

BTW, there is no standby switch.
How tough is this in practice for the tubes?
It takes about 15 - 20 sec(?) before the sound gets through.

It was suggested to set volume at min when turning it on and wait 3min until tunrnig volume up and begin playing.

I guess that only works for class (A)B, where the power dissipation relates to the signal amplitude. I guess the LC15 is AB pushpull ?
In Class A (single-ended) the power dissipation is constant, no advantage there.

[liddokun]

Are standby switches easy to add? Should I add one to mines?

I don't want to sound like an ass, but if you have to ask, you'd probably be better off taking it to a tech. Dangerous voltages, you know the drill.

That said, yes, it's pretty easy. A decent SPST switch that can take the B+ voltage and ampere that breaks the line that goes from the rectifier to the first tube. Presto: standby.

You can also get an ON-OFF-ON switch (DPDT) if you don't want to mess with the looks of your amp. One side is standby, the other is play. Center is off. See: http://www.rru.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/Kalamazoo/Mods/standby.html

I bought a 5F1 Champ kit at tubeampdoctor, and Andreas (the Doctor, I suppose) was kind enough to supply me with the following information:

the 5F1 has no standby switch.
We supply the kit only as they are I regret.
BTW, I would not install a stand-by with 6V6 or EL84 amps in SE.

not needed on the quick-warm-up tubes like EL84 or 6V6.
If too long run in stand-By it rather destroys the cathode then it
helps.

So IMO it is not needed with this amp.

He seems like a knowledgeable guy so I took his advice and left off the standby.

Ah, thanks for the information.  Don't worry about sounding like an ass, I guess I just asked a newbie question.  I'm pretty much new to tube amps, so I guess it's a common question.  I haev a friend who does all my amp work for me.