Why Necks Are Thicker Closer To The Body?

[Nic James]

Ok guys I was just wondering why necks are thicker at the 12th fret than at the 1st. Does this difference in thickness serve some purpose or could a neck be a uniform thickness all the way down to where it meets the body? Thanks.

[Ripthorn]

I have seen some necks that are basically uniform along the length of the neck (like some fender-ish necks). I think you might gain a little bit of backbow resistance with a neck that gets gradually thicker, but that is just conjecture on my part.