I studied piano from age ten and learned to read standard notation. I have no problem with it for keyboard instruments.
I started to learn guitar when I was 20 and started with chord positions. I then learned guitar tab by buying a songbook that had both notations in it so I could compare the two.
I discovered when I was about 12 or 13 that I didn't need the music to play most of the pop songs I heard at the time and started to play them all (on piano) "by ear". My piano teacher regularly got annoyed with me because I spent my whole time playing Beatles by ear rather than Beethoven by the book.
I gave up guitar when I was about 26 and didn't play again until last year when I bought a new acoustic and started playing again.
For some reason I can't explain I can usually hear the chords in a song and know what they are, unless it is a complicated chord progression when I need to listen more than once. This probably goes back to my school days where my music teacher trained me well to listen to music. We had to listen to a melody or chord progression and be able write it down.
I tend to work things out for myself by ear on guitar but will use chords or tabs to save time listening if the song is more complex.
I wouldn't describe myself as a "natural" guitar player. I'm more at home on the keyboard.
By the way, the gap where I didn't play guitar was 30 years. It has taken a year to get back to near where I was when I quit.
Hope this information is useful.