Originally Posted by: sungreenHi,

I am a beginner and have a quick question. How essential is it to learn to read music, or will just being able to read tabs good enough to get me through (for the long term)?
Thanks.

It is absolutely non-essential. It depends on your goals and interests. As a guitar player, you will find theory very helpful, but I don't find a real requirement to musical score. It could be useful in certain circumstances, but it is not necessary to read music be able to play it.