Originally Posted by: Merwood
I'm just asking these questions to get a basic understanding and also to expand my guitar knowledge for the future

Dude, there wasn't one question mark in your post ;)

If you play styles or songs that specifically require a capo, get one. It acts like a movable nut you can put anywhere on your fretboard. So if you put it behind the first fret and play an E shape, you are actually playing an F chord.

IMO, don't go semi-acoustic. Go electric, acoustic, or electric acoustic; you can't get one that does both well.

Polish... well, Dan Erlewin (sp) uses nothing but a clean cloth and the occasional spittle. He would know, so I've basically stopped using anything else myself. If you get something really stuck on a spot, a little naptha will probably take it off.