ESD protection for high speed, sensitive circuits...?

[earthtonesaudio]

I'm working on version... uh... maybe 9.63 of my proximity-controlled filter pedal, and it dawned on me that static protection might be a good idea. 

Sticking with the capacitive sensor technology, I have been looking at several topologies but they all have a gate or base of a transistor brought out (normally through a capacitor) of the protection of the enclosure, into the hazardous everyday world with its socks and carpets.

I haven't noticed any problems yet, but I can see how this could really decrease the longevity of the components, with constant exposure to static discharges.  It seems that all the diode clamp/varistor type of protections only prolong the inevitable need to replace semiconductors.  The other electronic option I can think of would be a capacitor to ground, slightly larger (faster ) than the one used to couple the antenna to the circuitry, but then your useful resolution decreases...

If anyone out there has any ideas on how to make this sort of thing more robust, I'm all ears.

[alanlan]

1Meg to chassis?