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Hello, I just found this forum and immediately registered so I can get a some advice and learn to better myself at finishing and repairing guitars, so here I go.

A week ago, a friend gave me a strat with broken electronics and I decided that before I replace that, I wanted to repaint the body and replace the neck. This is my first time repainting and finishing a guitar so I would appreciate as much advice/tips/step-by-step guides as I can be given.

I've taken off the neck and all the hardware from the body and I'm ready to sand the paint off but I want to know what I need to do and what supplies I need to obtain to prepare it for repainting. I know you need sealer but I keep finding a lot of different types and I don't want to end up getting the wrong kind.

As for the neck, I'm ordering a neck online and from the look of it, it doesn't seem to have any finish on it, and some google searches said that putting a finish on it will make the neck last longer and keep it from wearing out fast. How do I protect the neck from wearing out fast?

I can't think of any other questions right now but I know I have more. Thank you

Unfortunately while the question is very straight forward, the answer is not. Do you plan on removing the existing finish entirely? If so you have a multitude of options to choose from. But that is most likely not really necessary, especially if you wish to finish with a solid color and not see the wood grain through the finish. In that case the existing finish can be your sealer and base coat, but you will need to know what type of finish it is so you can put something compatible over top. The neck should be finished as well but you may wish to finish it with a different finish than the rest of the instrument for visual appeal/ playabilty. So let's start with what did you want it to look like when done and waht does it look like now? a Burst, solid color, etc.? Next let's figure out what's on there now. Take a q-tip and dip it in acetone, rub that on the surface somewhere under where the pick guard was. Did that disturb the finish or not? With these answers someone around here can help you with a process that is within your comfort range.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

the neck isn't gonna "wear out" fast, even if the client plays it 8 hours a day for 25 years. it might get grimy and dirty looking quickly, and need a fret job now and then, but it won't be "worn out", not if his hands are made of flesh and blood and bone.
finishing and painting is easily 40% of the battle for me, it is super tedious, messy, painstaking, and generally unhealthy. my advice: have someone else do it!

I want the body to be a solid, glossy white.
Unfortunately the guitar is at my friends house (that's where I'm doing the project) so I'll have to get back to you on that. What does it mean if the finish is disturbed by acetone?

haha yeah, it really seems like a lot of work, especially since this is the first time I'm doing it. But I'm willing to learn how

Since you want an opaque finish it makes the most sense to use the existing finish as a base for the new. The acetone test will tell us if the existing finish is a lacquer or a poly. Then we will know what can be applied over it. I suspect it will be a poly.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Buy a copy of the book from Stewart MacDonald (stewmac.com) called Guitar Refinishing Step by Step. Also, read about all the finishing products at their website.
If you have never refinished anything before, it is a lot of work and people's first attempts usually don't look so good, so read that book carefully. Each step has to be sanded to the appropriate level of perfection, as the next step will never ever fix any flaws underneath. In other words, experience or a good book teaches how many different grades of sandpaper must be used at each step.
If the finish is old fashioned nitrocellulose lacquer, the acetone or lacquer thinner will dissolve some of the finish, making a dull spot. Nitrocellulose can always be softened by lacquer thinner, no matter how old. It can be repaired easily, removed fairly easily, and when applying it you can fix your mistakes with only lots more work. It is not as durable as a modern finish.
Modern finishes are chemically hardened and are not affected by a solvent. They are close to impossible to remove without going crazy and usually intensely toxic to apply. If your guitar has this, you should use it as the undercoats and not try to remove it.

Yeah,
I woud not try to remove the finish: that stuff can be really thick!
I suspect the existing finish is some form of poly.
You could experiment on the suface under the pickguard.

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