They used maple for target limbs for many years and on about every bow made in general for years. A proven wood core.
Bamboo is great but does not like to stretch or compress. So its great on the belly compression side where a bow gets its power and could be argued not the best on the back tension side where it is not generating any power but still giving resistance. My next bow will have bamboo limb core with a maple layer on its back. I have shot enough bows to know that it does matter how the cores are stacked and with what in a bow limb.
The differences are subtle in good bows but they are there.
Regarding that it does not matter what is in a limb or how the lambs work together, I disagree. Jack Howard was very fussy about his limb cores and the result is considered one of the best performing bows ever made.

Joshua

And those Jack Howard bows have maple cores.  Most competitive flight bows were also made with maple cores and they are some of the most critical and stressed bows made.  Maple doesn't look like much under clear glass, but under solid color glass it is one of the best cores.

I have used red elm and find it excellent for durability, performance and looks.

The design has way more to do with how you are going to like the characteristics than your wood choices in a laminated bow. You need to focus on picking the right bowyer and let him pick the core lams.

Hard Maple is going to give you one of the best in preformance (FPS). Kinda plain but stain can help. It is not as smooth as Bamboo, but I know it is quicker, 1-3 FPS

Maple, hickory or red elm are great recurve cores. Actionboo all the way in my longbows unless I use foam. You will get a little feel of the shot with maple that you do not get with actionboo but maple is faster and much tougher .Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. God Bless you all and have a wonderful day. Steve

Just because most people build their houses out of bricks doesn't make them better than stones, and just because most bowyer use maple action wood or bamboo doesn't make it better than Yew or Osage.

Id go with something that has been used for thousands of years rather than 50 years.

Do not overlook walnut as a core wood, it will suprise you, also wenge. Yeah, I now most people have not heard this, but ask Bill Howland about core woods.

Walnut is a very good core, Wenge is a little heavy. I have used both and would take walnut over the  wenge