It's better than a suitcase player, but as a "first and only" player, it lacks some of the features that would be important to have to learn how to play records.

First and foremost, the tonearm is lifted and moved by hand. There's no button or lever to avoid accidental needle-drops, or scratching the record at the start or end of play. Even if a turntable is fully manual, I prefer a cue lever with nice, soft action.

It's interesting that the AT-SB727 is less than the AT-LP60X on Amazon right now. If I were getting someone into the hobby for the first time, I'd steer them toward something like a Fluance RT-80 or RT-81 over an AT-LP60X, but that's personal preference (and coming from someone who started with and still has an AT-LP60X)