Can static electricity cause a blown fuse in amp?

In my case, I've tried various ICs to no avail. Problem arrived with the preamp (CJ Prem 17LS2), but nobody else seems to have experienced it, and nothing CJ did was any help. They even brought over a duplicate preamp and it muted here just like mine does. Too bad I love the thing, otherwise.

It usually mutes quietly and I've never blown a fuse, but the muting is occasionally accompanied by pretty loud pops.

Yes, I think it's likely that the static charge caused the fuse to blow. My preamp is VERY susceptible to static and routinely mutes itself when I touch it or anything attached to it (including the metal frame on my Gallo speakers!). This is highly humidity-dependent. I've tried various "solutions" -- from humidifiers to anti-static tinsel. And the composition of shoe soles definitely makes a difference; leather works best in my case. Good luck, Dave

I've tried grounding anything and everything in the signal path and the preamp STILL mutes when the humidity is low enough and the gods are angry. I can even do this by simply touching a tonearm when playing another source (CD)and, believe me, the arm is well grounded as is the turntable itself.