Spanish cypress or Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sermpervirens) is the traditional wood for flamenco guitars. It's been used for centuries for musical instruments, for backs, as well as for tops (harpsichord soundboards to lute ribs). José Romanillos said at the '95 GAL convention that his preferred sound for a classical guitar (not flamenco) was Mediterranean cypress paired with a European spruce top. Interestingly, tapping a back for tone is not unlike tapping cardboard for tone.
It often has blue ink-like spots that are usually removed with sanding but not always. This, of course, is a downgrading factor, and although it is very difficult to get good cypress, it's hard to believe that it wasn't always the case when you see the trees, which are usually gnarled and full of limbs, rarely showing any clear trunk. The better grades are quartersawn, and have few if any defects.
It often has blue ink-like spots that are usually removed with sanding but not always. This, of course, is a downgrading factor, and although it is very difficult to get good cypress, it's hard to believe that it wasn't always the case when you see the trees, which are usually gnarled and full of limbs, rarely showing any clear trunk. The better grades are quartersawn, and have few if any defects.