staff or tab?

Do you primarily read staff or tab? Is it smarter (though harder) to learn on the staff, or should one just jump right to guitar tab?

I do have experience reading the staff, though I don't know it that well (singing doesn't require knowing note names, etc :)

I hate tab with a passion. It was started as a fingering position guide in the 1600's. Its was never ment for sight reading.
Now adays I run into so many guitarists who claim to be better than me, some big fast mirror image Eddie Van Halen guy. Cant read a note of music, and usually doesnt possess any speed or ear training experience either. Sorry, getting off topic. Can you tell I hate tab?
No offence to anyone who can only read tab.
Its just not my thing. Its like painting by numbers, with no paint. I always say, if your gonna do something, do it right, and being ably to read music and play a musical instrument is a no brainer. For some reason, its guitars, basses and drums that seem to be the instruments that these people play.
I'm one of the only people I know of at my school that can read and talks theory at the level I do. Sure, a lot can read too. But then again, a lot of them read tab.
Anyway, sorry if I offended anyone who likes tab a lot. Its just not my thing. I read off a staff.

I can only read tab. But i wish i could read staff. The more you know the better so if u have the time then of course learn staff.

Plus i like the idea of how you do not have to listen to a song to get the beat which is a big advantage.

I also garuntee you that if you were to go somewhere, where there is some REAL muscians (not just people who play guitars), and then this topic comes up, then im sure that you would be laughed out of the room. :)

I do a little of both and know enough to tell you that tab (mostly) contains no rhythmic info. and therefore is not as concise as music on a staff (i.e. often tab is written in a way that is OK as long as you know the tune). I think both are valid, if you want to communicate concisely with another musician or record musical ideas. I personally don’t like simply copying other people and try to think of the music written on the paper as a scaffold to elaborate on. It is very surprising how many people thing of a song as an absolute ‘thing’ rather than as an evolving idea! I think learning basic music theory and a little about the staff are very important for a musicians development. They are however only supposed to facilitate the act of making music !

Learn to read the staff
The guitar is a unique instrument because you can play the same melody in several different positions on the neck. Tab only offers you one example, learn to read and choose yourself where to play the given phrase. I end up repositioning most stuff I learn from tab.

I believe that is actually what tab is for. There are many of the same notes that can be played at different locations on the neck. Tab is one way of showing you where to play the notes. Thats why there is no info on rhythm or timing, it was never meant for exclusive use for writting down songs or sightreading. It is an aid in reading standard notation.
I believe one of the reasons for its surprising popularity is the fact that it is so easy to write on the internet, just lines and numbers. I always thought it would be cool if there was a typing program that allowed you to do standard notation over the web or something.

Either one works... but I don't like reading music while playing unless I just learned the song.

I definitely agree with that - memorization is the best way to play. I don't know anything yet, though - so the issue arises ;)

Part II to this question: (This came up in my lesson yesterday). How do you look at [large] chords? Do you read them on the staff (like you would if playing piano/keyboard) or do you only play large chords by name (D7, G, etc)? This came up because I've been learning to play chords by name, and the book I'm going out of started an intro to chords using only 3 and 4 strings (i.e. G and G7 on only the top 3 strings).

Yay, some1 agreed with me.

But thats why people sight read. To learn songs.

I know when I played violin that I sight readed pretty much the whole time, but that was many moons ago. Also, I know a lot of people that do sight read all the time. Maybe most people in the guitar world don't sight read, unless they're learning songs, but there are always the exceptions.

I've known a lot of guitar players. There are tons of em at this new school I'm at. I'm not trying to put anyone down here, but the ones who can read and have a good understanding of theory are generally better than the ones who cant.