heh, i can only do tabs aswell.
used to play a lot 3-4 years back.
could read notes and all that, then i stopped playing and forgot how to do it all
now i just play whenever im bored.
so i kinda suck, lol.
i use an old JD luthier something or other.
got it 5 or so years ago, cheap thing, but its alright for what its worth.