It is manufactured by Italian makers Ripamonti and Orsi, and in Germany by Foag Klarinetten, Herbert Wurlitzer, and Schwenk & Seggelke.

British organologist Albert Rice in his 2017 survey counted eleven pitches of high clarinets, but noted that while the D♭ soprano and sopraninos in E and G♭ are mentioned in literature and catalogs, no known instruments in these pitches exist in museums or private collections.

The smallest, in C, was probably experimental, only found with simplified key work due to the tight fingering required of an instrument only 28 centimetres (11 in) long.

The music was originally performed by a quartet of two violins (the brothers Johann and Josef Schrammel), a contraguitar, and the G clarinet played by Georg Dänzer.

[14] Several manufacturers produce A♭ clarinets: Italian makers L. A. Ripamonti, Mario Corso, and Orsi, and in Germany, Foag Klarinetten, Herbert Wurlitzer, and Schwenk & Seggelke.

The A♭ clarinet initially found its widest use in 19th century European wind and military band music.

[21] German avant-garde composer Hans-Joachim Hespos uses the A♭ clarinet in his 1972 large orchestral work, Interactions.

[23] Canadian composer Samuel Andreyev includes "A♭ piccolo clarinet" in his 2012 chamber piece Vérifications for six instruments.