Actives, passives, and in-line FX question

[My name is Mudd]

This may be an awkwardly-phrased question, so bear with me here...

I own an active Schecter now, and have just ordered another Schecter that will switch from active to passive (for this discussion, assume it's a passive only, tho). My Ampeg BA210sp has no effects loop (probably due to the on-board digital FX stuff) and so my pedals are in-line between the bass(es) and the amp's inputs...everything clear so far?. The Ampeg does have both passive and active input jacks, and this is where my question comes in...will an A/B Y-splitter at the end of the chain, with one cable into the active jack and another into the passive jack, allow me to switch basses back and forth without having to move the cable from the FX to the amp? To put it another way, I'd like to be able to simply unplug one bass and plug in the other without needing to also rearrange the cable(s) from the FX to the amp.

Assuming that my description makes sense, with an A/B box do this?

[bongomania]

Depends. On some amps, there is a switching mechanism between the two inputs, and on some they are just passively connected together. In the first case, plugging into one jacks turns off the other jack, so that won't work for you. In the second case, the two instruments connected will load each other down, robbing tone and volume from the passive bass particularly, so that won't work for you.

What you want instead is an A/B switcher at the front of the fx chain, ideally with an adjustable pad on one of the inputs so you can equalize the levels of the two basses.

[niftydog]

Switch the jacks on the amp isn't your problem - the difference in output from each bass is gonna stuff up the settings on your pedals.

A better solution, as bongo has alluded to, is to have a way of reducing the level of the active bass before your pedals. That way you can set up everything for your passive bass and leave it be. Then when you connect your active bass you engage the pad and everything stays hunky dory.

[RickenBoogie]

You might wait until you have both basses, and see how they respond. I use 2 passive basses, and 1 18v active, and normally don't need to bother with "toning one down", as the controls on the bass itself are plenty enough. Just wait, and see. Maybe you don't need nothin'.

[My name is Mudd]

I wasn't going to do anything until the new one arrives (like I can afford to after paying for it, but thanks anyway for the financial optimism), and yeah - what bongo suggested makes sense. I really hope that RickenBoogie is right in that I won't need to do anything, but the way things have gone around here recently, that may be too much to hope for.