The gut strings do have a great sound--one of those trade-offs that come with progress--nylon is a lot cheaper, but there is a difference--

McGrath, if you were here, Elderly Instruments has a lot of ukulele and banjo parts--come to think of it, they have a website Elderly Ukuleles Parts and Accesories You can browse around and see if they have anything of use--

I think that I forgot to mention that ukulele players tend to have a number of instruments--a couple that are playable and a few more that need repairs, parts, or just sympathy--