diff --git a/config/global/build-behave.in b/config/global/build-behave.in
index fae99171..07302ffe 100644
--- a/config/global/build-behave.in
+++ b/config/global/build-behave.in
@@ -78,6 +78,10 @@ config CONFIG_SHELL_SH
       
       The default is to use bash, as some components (eg. GMP) will fail
       to build with anything else than bash.
+      
+      Unless you have a very strong reason not to (eg. you are debugging
+      the bashisms in a ./configure script), you should use the default,
+      and use bash.
 
 config CONFIG_SHELL_ASH
     bool
@@ -109,15 +113,20 @@ config CONFIG_SHELL_CUSTOM
 
 endchoice
 
-config CONFIG_SHELL
-    string
-    default "sh"        if CONFIG_SHELL_SH
-    default "ash"       if CONFIG_SHELL_ASH
-    default "bash"      if CONFIG_SHELL_BASH
-    default "custom"    if CONFIG_SHELL_CUSTOM || BACKEND
-
+# Do not put this into the choice above, because the choice
+# is not available in BACKEND-mode, while we do want this to
+# be set even in BACKEND-mode.
 config CONFIG_SHELL_CUSTOM_PATH
     string
     prompt "Path to custom shell" if ! BACKEND
     depends on CONFIG_SHELL_CUSTOM || BACKEND
     default "/bin/sh"
+
+# Ditto.
+# And we must use the ./configured bash...
+config CONFIG_SHELL
+    string
+    default "/bin/sh"                   if CONFIG_SHELL_SH
+    default "/bin/ash"                  if CONFIG_SHELL_ASH
+    default "${bash}"                   if CONFIG_SHELL_BASH
+    default CONFIG_SHELL_CUSTOM_PATH    if CONFIG_SHELL_CUSTOM || BACKEND
diff --git a/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in b/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in
index 4499f712..2057f26c 100644
--- a/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in
+++ b/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in
@@ -66,18 +66,8 @@ CT_DoExecLog DEBUG touch "${CT_WORK_DIR}/foo"
 CT_TestAndAbort "Your file system in '${CT_WORK_DIR}' is *not* case-sensitive!" -f "${CT_WORK_DIR}/FOO"
 CT_DoExecLog DEBUG rm -f "${CT_WORK_DIR}/foo"
 
-# What's our shell?
-# Will be plain /bin/sh on most systems, except if we have /bin/ash and we
-# _explictly_ required using it
-case "${CT_CONFIG_SHELL}" in
-    sh)     CT_SHELL="/bin/sh";;
-    ash)    CT_SHELL="/bin/ash";;
-    bash)   CT_SHELL="${BASH}";;
-    custom) CT_SHELL="${CT_CONFIG_SHELL_CUSTOM_PATH}";;
-esac
-
 # Check the user is using an existing SHELL to be used by ./configure and Makefiles
-CT_TestOrAbort "The CONFIG_SHELL '${CT_CONFIG_SHELL}' (${CT_SHELL}) is not valid" -f "${CT_SHELL}" -a -x "${CT_SHELL}"
+CT_TestOrAbort "The CONFIG_SHELL '${CT_CONFIG_SHELL}' is not valid" -f "${CT_CONFIG_SHELL}" -a -x "${CT_CONFIG_SHELL}"
 
 # Create the bin-override early
 # Contains symlinks to the tools found by ./configure
@@ -484,8 +474,8 @@ if [ -z "${CT_RESTART}" ]; then
 
     # Set the shell to be used by ./configure scripts and by Makefiles (those
     # that support it!).
-    export CONFIG_SHELL="${CT_SHELL}"   # for ./configure
-    export SHELL="${CT_SHELL}"          # for Makefiles
+    export CONFIG_SHELL="${CT_CONFIG_SHELL}"    # for ./configure
+    export SHELL="${CT_CONFIG_SHELL}"           # for Makefiles
 
     # And help make go faster
     JOBSFLAGS=