when I glue bamboo on the back of an osage slat I use a full length clamp "pad" that I made from a piece of hickory backing(1/8" thick) that didn't measure up with a piece of the most dense carpet padding I could find glued to it with contact cement. the thing was about 1 1/2" wide and about 66" long. plenty well flimsy enough to conform to radical deflex/reflex profiles and even mild recurves. I chose the carpet pad because it can form around the nodes on bamboo and help disperse the clamp pressure everywhere else, but still provide protection. the hickory also helps protect, distribute clamp pressure, and provides a stable, rigid surface for the clamp. lay a piece of cellophane on the bow between the bamboo and the pad to keep from gluing pad to bamboo. I don't know how many dozens of bows I glued up with this rig, but it worked very, very well for only a couple of dollars. I've since made an upgraded version, replacing carpet pad with a strip of dense foam rubber floor mat(an anti-fatigue mat, I guess), which is about 5/16" thick. got the floor mat material from Mr. Torges hisself. this version works even better than the original. does a better job of distributing clamp pressure, I think, because the foam rubber is much more dense than the carpet pad, but still spongy enough to protect.
I've never really had any problems with Maso Bamboo from Bamboo and Rattan Works. the bamboo I've gotten from them has always been very good. the nicest bamboo I've ever used is Madake, which came from Australia. cannot get it here, as far as I know.