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I want a 2x10 combo and I don't know why.

Best bang for the buck: Fender Rumble 500 combo. I A/B'd side by side with Rumble 200 & a Ampeg 210 (latest version) combo. All same settings, the 500 sounded the best. Use at any smaller gig. But if you just play at home, its overkill. My practice amp is a Rumble 100.. I had amp GAS, traded in my Ampeg BA110V2 in on it, GC had it on sale $100 off. I can even use it at my small dive gig.
 
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Nightstand it is then! You could do worse.
 
Very generaly speaking, 2x10 cabs or combos sound different than typical 1x15 to me. Again very generaly, they have more low mids that, to someone, sounds thicker.
I gravitate more towards 1x cabs or combos, typicaly 15", they have more "flat" low mids and sound more "monitor-like" to me.
Just get what you like and need.

I was going to say similar. I have had a few rigs over the years of various speaker sizes / arrangements and I like a 2x10 for the clarity and strong low-mids. I feel it cuts through the mix nicely without being too boomy.

That said, I do miss my GK MB150E (1x12) for the size and portability. It worked really well for almost every application I have been playing in the last few years. Regret selling it.
 
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I can relate. My main gig of 10 years dried up in the pandemic. I'm not actively seeking another one right now. But what I am doing is curating a special collection of bass stuff. A combo. A 112 stack. An active fiver and a passive four-banger. Pedals that give me every sound I am after. Do I play this equipment? Sure. For 10-20 minutes at a time, almost every evening. Typically I'm just noodling when fussing over this or that piece of gear. But sometimes I'm practicing walking bass lines or doing the circle of fifths backward in three positions.

I like bass stuff. I'm not a collector, someone who gets one of everything and fills a place up with it. I curate: just the specific stuff I like a lot, the things that scratch every bass itch I currently have.

One day I'll get another regular gig. But even if I don't, there are worse things to do with your money and there are more expensive hobbies.

EDIT: The other thing I do is obsess over setups. I strive to get the lowest action I can get away with.
 
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A want and a need are sometimes miles apart. Unless you have cash just burning holes through your wallet and pockets an impulse buy can sometimes become a regret when reality strikes. However, a good 2x10 combo can be a great thing as in it's pretty much everything you'd need for smaller to medium gigs and if you need more you can a lot of the time add an extension cab to them or if you have PA support it's usually not an issue. Some can be boat anchors in weight however there are some good neo and light options out there too and make for a smaller package to load in and out as well. Do you need or do you want - your call.
 
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Get one! I have absolutely no need for one these days, but I have a 2x10 NEO under my standing desk (with a GK1001RB head, talk about overkill). Between calls I pick up the bass and turn it up just to feel alive. Love the sound and refuse to get rid of it even though I don’t play gigs anymore.
 
I want a 2x10 combo and I don’t know why.

You other bassists can’t deny
That when a bassist walks in with a 2x10
And it’s a combo that just plugs in, you get thump
Wanna crank it up cause you notice the house is stuffed

The guitarist he be swearin’
The groupies are hooked and they can’t stop starin’
Oh combo, I got to get ya
And take me with ya

My drummer tried to warn me
But I fired him.
 
I'm with you, I always feel like 10s are what I want for bass because my brain tells me they have more "punch" than 15s. I'm a head+cab kind of guy, I don't really go for combos, but my first "real" bass rig was a GK Backline 600 on top of a Peavey 2x10. I haven't gigged as a bassist in 7 years, but for some reason I talked myself into getting an Eden 6x10 and a more powerful head. I still don't play bass in a band, but I can vibrate the hell out of my house any time I want. My good friend affectionately calls it my "Madison Square Basement gig."

If you've got the cash, go for it. Do what makes you happy, whether you "need" it or not.
 
I was going to say similar. I have had a few rigs over the years of various speaker sizes / arrangements and I like a 2x10 for the clarity and strong low-mids. I feel it cuts through the mix nicely without being too boomy.

That said, I do miss my GK MB150E (1x12) for the size and portability. It worked really well for almost every application I have been playing in the last few years. Regret selling it.
Ha, that's funny - my only amp at the moment is GK MB112 II combo (1x12) and the one I don't see myself parting with :) It does monitoring onstage great, and PA is there for heavy lift.
 
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From 40watts I suggest finding a used Ampeg BA210 Combo. They are amazing combos and have a sweet musical tone and if you want to get a bigger combo later you'll likely break even. You're missing out on a lot of the bass tones with lower watt combos.
 
A 2x10 is my combo of choice and has been for some years, however my ultimate rig is a 2x10 combo PLUS a matching 2x10 extension cab. I no longer own (or need) the extension cab but I really do miss the really incredible fullness of sound that the additional 2x10 gives you.

Why the OP desires a 2x10 is possibly that it has sort of become the industry standard format for a bass cab? It is also an ideal starting platform for which you can build on or add further cabs (if so desired), such as a further 2x10, a 1x15 or other speaker combinations. In my mind as well, there is something different from the sound that 2x10 cabs give you to say a 4x10 cabinet.
 
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I've had many many cabs. I discovered a preference for cabs with at least two drivers. There's something about a pair of speakers sounding much more "musical" than just one. You can always get more than two in a box if you want to explore sound. This cab has six ... and it's smaller than a 2x10!

View attachment 4807996
Man I love the AMPWEDGE!
 
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