Most electric instruments with lower strings are violin-sized, as they use the amp and speaker to create a big sound, so they don't need a large soundbox. Indeed, some electric violas have little or no soundbox, and thus rely on entirely on amplification. Fewer electric violas are available relative to electric violins. it can be hard for violists who prefer physical size or familiar touch references of a viola-sized instrument, when they must use an electric viola that uses a smaller violin-sized body. Welsh musician John Cale, formerly of The Velvet Underground, is one of the more famous users of such an electric viola, who has used them both for melodies in his solo work and for drones in his work with The Velvet Underground (e.g. "Venus in Furs"). Other notable players of the electric viola are Geoffrey Richardson of Caravan and Mary Ramsey of 10,000 Maniacs.